Touketsu no Namida
by LinSetsu
Summary: Sequel to Nakama. The story follows Kakashi as an ANBU, treading down dark and dangerous paths that can well lead to the destruction of his mind.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Naruto_ or any of its characters, but those that I make up are rightfully mine.

**Explanation: **Being a sequel to _Nakama_, _Touketsu no Namida_ follows Kakashi as an ANBU, treading down dark and dangerous paths that can well lead to the destruction of his mind. As _Nakama_ became an AU, I guess this will also be one, since I'll be using Midori's name and history.

It would be advisable to read _Nakama_ before reading this fic.

**Chapter One:**

Blood. Many droplets of it clung miraculously to the sharp blade of a katana. One by one, the drops slid down the length of the sword, slowing only when they reached the very tip of it. There they gathered once again, then dripped off one by one once more, pulled by the force of gravity. After several fractions of a second, they splattered onto the thin blades of grass that grew from the early spring soil. The katana was held loosely in the shinobi's hand, hanging almost vertical to the ground. Trails of water painted the arm that held the weapon, originating from the soaking clothes that the ninja wore. The dark sleeveless shirt was plastered to the lean body, and layered over it was the thin and flexible silver metal plate that fitted close around the torso. Long, dark gloves reached halfway up his upper arms, though leaving the swirled tattoo of his left arm revealed, vivid against the pale skin. Along his lower arms and continuing until the base of his fingers on the back of his hands, was also a metal protector.

The ANBU, marked with the characteristic animal mask stood motionless on the forest floor. The rain poured down from the dark, heavy clouds, oblivious to the fact that it was still before sundown. The surroundings were dark and hazy through the countless curtains of falling water. The rain washed away the blood; the earth absorbed everything into its embrace.

The shinobi raised his free, left hand to the mask and pulled it slowly down. He stopped when he had lowered it enough so that just his eyes peered over the top of it. They were closed, but he opened them, revealing the unnatural red left eye under a hideous, vertical scar. Both eyes took in the scene before him in one sweeping gaze. Eight bodies of dead shinobi lay scattered around him, some still with their eyes open with a disbelieving expression etched into those glazed pupils. The ANBU closed his eyes once again and replaced the mask over his face.

Silence reigned for only a brief few seconds before the faintest thuds announced the arrival of several shinobi. The ANBU did not stir. The new arrivals, also wearing the Konoha ANBU uniform, straightened out of their battle ready stances and relaxed a little. They dropped down onto the ground and one of them approached the still shinobi.

"We're finished here," he said. "Let's move."

The shinobi nodded, absently swiping his katana through the air to rid it of the blood and rain, then he replaced it in its sheath strapped to his back. The four other ANBU turned and disappeared into the trees without a sound. One of them glanced back to make sure he was coming, and paused, when he saw that he still hadn't moved.

"Hatake," he called. Finally, Kakashi turned from the circle of shinobi that he had killed, and followed his group in silence.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi stood under the shower that was turned almost to the maximum. He allowed the warm water to drench his silver hair and stream down his well toned, muscular body. His eyes were closed, and his head tilted back so that his face received the stinging droplets of the water. Despite having been under the shower for almost ten minutes, he could still smell the stench of blood on himself.

From beyond the door, he could hear snippets of conversations from the other shinobi, as he was using the showers in the changing rooms below the ANBU headquarters. They were mostly casual talks, and the mentioning of their various missions was often left out. The word 'often' did not imply 'always'.

"Say, you were on the mission with Hatake Kakashi, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I was assigned on the same mission as him last week. I felt really uneasy around him. It's not like I don't like him or he's mean, but there's just something strange about him."

"I know what you mean. He killed eight enemies in one go. He's a real genius, being so young, but you inevitably also think of the word term 'killing machine'."

"There are so many rumours about him, you know."

"Sh! Not so loud."

"What rumours?"

"Things like he openly defied the whole Uchiha Clan's decision."

"Oh that event, like a year and a half ago, if I remember correctly."

"It's weird to think that he's actually using an eye that belonged to his friend."

"Uchiha Obito."

"People say that manipulating that eye should have been impossible for anyone who didn't possess the Uchiha blood."

"That's one of the things that freaks me out about that kid."

Kakashi reached down to turn the water off and put an end to their foolish gossiping. He didn't care what they thought of him, or how they talked about him, but he found it dull and boring to listen to their hushed whispers. When he was turning the water knobs off, however, he heard someone close the door of the changing room with a loud bang.

"What is this, a secret conspiracy?" the new voice, a male, said loudly. "You guys are too old for childish rumours and not old enough for old women's gossips (granted, you're guys who'll never (hopefully) become women). Now get out of here if you're finished. The ANBU changing rooms aren't meant for social gatherings!"

"Hatori-san!" a few muttered with surprise. "Excuse us."

Kakashi turned the tap completely off and pushed aside the curtains. He stepped out into a small cubicle. He pulled the towel off a rail and dried himself, then slung it across his shoulders. He dressed the lower half of his body in casual trousers, fixed the dark mask over his mouth and nose, then slid the door open. He kept his left eye closed. A few of the shinobi were still there, closing their lockers. They avoided glancing at him and swiftly made their way out of the room.

Tanaka Hatori turned away from his locker and made his way to the showers with a towel in his hands. He was a high ranking ANBU in his latter twenties and he often led missions of high value. His brown hair was only long enough for it to be tied into a short, thin tail at the back of his neck.

"Hi there," he said. Kakashi bowed his head in a nod but said nothing. As he went to his locker, he heard Hatori chuckle softly to himself and mutter, "I think they define it as reticence."

Kakashi hung up the damp towel and pulled on the plain, navy shirt of a Jounin outfit. He also placed the Konoha Hitai-ate over his forehead and pulled the left side of it over the Sharingan eye. He had left the vest that he hardly wore nowadays in his apartment. As he was about to close the locker his eye fell on the katana that was leaning against the side. It smelled strongly of blood even at the distance. Kakashi closed the locker completely and walked out of the room.

The dimly lit corridors were empty, but he met a group of ANBU coming down the stairs. They brushed passed without a word, and Kakashi made his way up towards the main entrance. The rain had stopped, but it was still dark. The lights were on in most of the buildings and the street lamps glowed orange.

Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pockets and leapt lightly up onto the rooftops. He was in no mood to run into anyone. He wasn't hungry or thirsty, he wasn't tired, he didn't want to do anything, he didn't need to do anything, and he didn't know what he would do even if he did go back to his apartment. His mind was blank, except for a dark red hue that resembled wet blood too much.

Closing his eye, he leapt silently across the roofs, and when he found no more, he ran like a shadow over the grass and into the trees. He didn't have to think; his body acted on its own, and Kakashi stared at the black Memorial Stone once his feet had stopped moving. He stared at it for a few minutes, then he crouched before it and reached out to brush the tips of his fingers down the cold face until he reached Obito's name. There were a few others carved after his.

"Obito," he whispered, his voice almost void of any emotion. He allowed his knee to sink down onto the wet ground as he continued to stare unseeingly at his best friend's name. The fabric of his trousers began to soak the water of the soil, spreading the cold over his skin once again, but he hardly noticed the small details of his body's discomfort. His eye was fixed on his hand and he saw blood trickling freely over them. It wasn't his blood. It was the blood of those he had killed.

_Obito, your blood is also here staining my hand. Even if all the others washed away someday, your blood will always stay._

For a second, he saw his friend smiling so sincerely, bleeding and dying in his arms. Then the image faded, as abruptly as it had come. Kakashi's expression did not change. He had seen and watched that scene too many times to even try and count.

His thoughts took him suddenly down another path. The ANBU.

He had spent nearly half a year to rebuild his body to its former condition after his encounter with Orochimaru and the Sharingan transplantation. After the hospital had confirmed his full recovery, he had resumed missions. They had often involved leading a small group of shinobi, but the Hokage had given him occasional solo missions from time to time. He had continued that regular life style for roughly half a year, when he had heard the sudden news.

(Flashback)

Kakashi stood with his hitai ate drawn down over both his eyes to use as a blind hold. He was in the middle of a clearing in the most unused regions of the training grounds. As a wild bird gave a cry in the distant, he pivoted on one foot, spinning clockwise. In his right hand, he held numerous kunai, which he flung one at a time during his movement. They all hit the marks he had intended to, which consisted of various wires connected among the first line of trees and branches. Beyond that, he had erected a thin wall from the ground to make sure no wanderer got injured.

He heard the sharp pangs of snapping wires and the whistling rush of further weapons. Although he did not immediately stop his spin, he strained his ears to listen beyond the scratching of the dry ground beneath his feet. He had set up traps at random, and had no idea which of them he had hit first.

He waited, then began to shift his body very slightly and in a flowing motion. Moving lightly over the ground, he ducked and spun, leapt and twisted his body. In the matter of a second or two, he stood still again and pulled up the forehead protector from his right eye. The weapons numbering roughly thirty odd were scattered around him in the ground or the trees. He remained unscathed and his expression didn't change as he scanned the area.

"Bravo, let's call for an encore."

Kakashi sighed and turned to his left to the source of the voice and slow clapping. He squinted his eye against the sunlight that threw its bright rays in his direction. A figure squatted on the top of the ring wall he had made, silhouetted by the afternoon sun.

"What do you want, Yuki-san?" he asked. He didn't need to see the face to know who the presence and voice belonged to.

"What an impertinent way to greet a friend," Yuki scoffed, straightening and stepping down from his observation seat. He grinned nevertheless as he approached Kakashi and he raised his hand in casual greetings. "How're you doing?"

"Fine," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

"I can tell that much," Yuki muttered, glancing around at all the weapons. He raised an eyebrow. "Kage Bunshin?"

Kakashi simply nodded. The mass numbers of shuriken and kunai disappeared in small puffs of smoke, leaving only five original weapons, which Kakashi retrieved and placed them back in his holster. When he straightened, he turned his head to face Yuki.

"And, what do you want? You couldn't have come without a reason," he said.

Yuki shrugged. "Truth be told, I wanted to ask if you wanted to come out for a drink this even – I'm joking, I'm joking, stay here!" he shouted hurriedly as Kakashi was ready to spring over the earthen wall. Kakashi threw him a rather dry, humourless look but he slid his hands into his pockets and didn't move. Yuki sighed and scratched the back of his head distractedly.

He closed his eyes momentarily, and when he opened them again, they were serious and devoid of any playfulness. He dropped his hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin scroll. He brought it in front of him and looked down at it with slightly narrowed eyes. Kakashi, feeling the difference in Yuki's attitude turned around to completely face him and also cast the scroll a glance.

"This is from the ANBU," Yuki said. "They're offering you a position as an ANBU agent."

Kakashi was surprised to hear this. "ANBU?"

Yuki nodded. "To be exact, they already had their eyes on you two years ago. You and Obito. I managed to stop them back then, reasoning that you were still too young and inexperienced to manage in the ANBU. The matter was put away, but ever since you've successfully mastered the Sharingan, they've been pressing more and more."

Kakashi walked over to him and Yuki gave him the scroll. He untied the string and opened it, scanning through the brief, formal letter, simply stating that the ANBU wished to have him as a member.

"This is merely an invitation, it's not obligatory," Yuki said. "You can turn it down without any – "

"I accept it."

Yuki slowly closed his mouth and he sighed almost inaudibly. He tried to search Kakashi's eye, but it was fairly well shuttered as usual.

"Alright," Yuki said quietly. "I'll inform them about that, and they'll send for you."

He watched Kakashi turn and walk away from him. He was about to leave as well, when he heard Kakashi mutter something back to him.

"I'm sorry, Yuki-san," he whispered softly.

(End Flashback)

Kakashi straightened before the Memorial stone. Slowly he turned and walked back through the dark training grounds with his hands in his pockets and his eye cast down on the wet ground without really seeing it. He had joined the ANBU in search for strength and a busier life. He had acquired both of them over the course of roughly six months since he had joined the ANBU, but his mind still found the time to brood over the past. Kakashi closed his eye and continued back to his apartment.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Before the sun had risen and before most of the villagers had become to stir, Kakashi walked silently down the streets of Konoha. It was still dark with only a few thin rays of light in the distant East. The rain had fled and the clouds that were visible were merely thin streaks across the dim sky.  
He once heard the slurred laughter of drunken men in the distance, but it soon faded and he was left in silence once again. He had no assigned missions that day, but he intended to go the ANBU headquarters to retrieve his katana and then head towards one of the confined training arenas.

Just then he felt the presence of two people getting closer to where he was. It didn't take long for him to pick up the quiet padding of feet running over the ground and hoarsely whispered shouts.

"It's your fault we're late!" said a girl's voice accusingly.

"I'm terribly sorry," snapped back a boy. "_Somebody_ told me the wrong time!"

"Are you blaming _me_?"

"Oh forget it; I'm not bothered to argue with you so early in the morning."

"Take it back then."

"Drop it, Mie."

"No!"

Kakashi stopped a second before the two burst out of a smaller street on his right. They continued a few paces before the boy noticed him and abruptly came to a standstill, earning a seething curse from the girl who nearly crashed into him.

"Yo, Kakashi," greeted the boy, doubling back the small distance. His head was covered by a thin, navy cloth with the knot above his forehead. Between his teeth he held a long piece of stick and he wore the standard Chuunin vest.

"Morning Genma," Kakashi replied quietly.

"You're up early as usual," Genma said with a grin. "I wouldn't be bothered if I were you."

"Aren't you running late?" Kakashi muttered.

"He's absolutely right!" shouted the girl, Mie. She emphasised her point by slamming her fist down on Genma head. He winced and swore under his breath, but didn't have the time to retaliate before Mie grabbed the back of his shirt and began to haul him away. Kakashi watched with little amusement for a moment, until a thin, shrill cry drew his attention to the sky where a bird was soaring overhead. Mie and Genma stopped for a moment as well.

"I guess that's for you," Genma said, glancing back down at Kakashi who merely nodded. Genma looked back up at the bird, and then was almost toppled off balance by Mie again. Grumbling, he was about to bid Kakashi goodbye, but he was no where in sight. He blinked and shrugged.

Kakashi was already in the air, picking out a quicker route to the headquarters over the rooftops. The bird that had by now flown away had been one to indicate the need for his immediate presence. Still, his mind wandered and he suddenly recalled his first meeting with Genma. Obito had been there as well. They had still been Chuunin, and Genma had been furious that he was still a Genin. Since the war had ended, Genma had passed the reorganised Chuunin exam. The only reason Kakashi became properly acquainted with him was because he had once led their team through a mission, shortly after he had finished his rehabilitations. Although Genma had been stiff towards him at first, he had gradually grown friendlier and now often asked Kakashi to help his training.

Kakashi withdrew from his memories as he landed back on the ground and looked up at the ordinary building before him. No signs or marks were placed over the entrance to attract attention, and it looked to be a small, one floored office building. Hatori was standing by the entrance, clearly waiting for him. Kakashi walked towards his superior and after an exchange of nods, they entered the ANBU headquarters without a word. As soon as they were inside, Hatori closed the door securely and stopped. Kakashi glanced at him questioningly.

"An emergency mission from Sandaime that reached us just now," Hatori explained. "You are to head down towards the southern most part of the peninsula in Fire Country. A team of Chuunin was sent on a C rank body guard mission, but a recent missing nin from the Mist Country seems to have made his way to where the team is. They encountered the missing nin last night and sent a message for help. You will be going as a pair with a Jounin. Your mission is to aid the team and kill the missing nin."

"If it's just a missing nin, I can take care of it by myself. I can travel faster – " Kakashi began.

"The Jounin is the team's teacher," Hatori cut in with a shake of his head. "Take him with you."

"Fine, I understand."

"Good, then get ready and meet the Jounin at the South Gate as soon as possible."

"Hai."

Kakashi descended the stairs and entered the empty changing rooms, walking straight to his locker. He changed into his uniform from his regular Jounin outfit, and pulled his canine mask over his face. He strapped his katana to his back and was about to close the locker when he glimpse a second blade. The Hakkou Chakra Tou. His father's old sword. Without much thought about it, Kakashi took it as well and swiftly left the room. While he walked back up the stairs, he attached the second blade vertically down his back, under his ANBU katana.

The dawning light was filtering into the village when Kakashi arrived at the gate. To keep himself out of plain sight, he waited in the shadows of the great wooden doors for the Jounin. It wasn't long before he arrived, leaping down from the buildings. Kakashi was surprised when he looked to see who it was.

"Akira-san," he muttered as he pushed off the wall. Akira turned to him, clearly surprised as well. He blinked, a slight frown pulling his brows together.

"That voice," he muttered, "Hatake Kakashi? The ANBU they were talking about was you?"

Kakashi nodded. "Gai's team, then, is it?"

"I'm afraid so," Akira said. "I was away on my own mission when they received theirs, and they have completed C rank missions on their own, so I wasn't worried. Let's hurry."

The gates were opened and they leapt immediately up into the trees for quicker passage. They both kept their silence while they travelled, and Kakashi used the branches a little higher to keep some distance between Akira.

Since the days when Kazuma had trained Obito and Kakashi, Gai had achieved the rank of Chuunin along with his two team mates. After Obito's death, Kakashi rarely saw him, and it wasn't until he had fully recovered that Gai suddenly began challenging him to 'rival duels'. So far it was 7 wins to 0 losses for Kakashi, as Gai continuously mentioned, vowing each time to beat him.

Gai's teams mates were a boy named Jun and a girl called Yuina. Kakashi had come to know them a little better since they often came along with Gai to watch the so-called duel. It never lasted more than a few minutes in any case so Yuina and Jun would usually drag him into a conversation while Gai was left to recover. Nevertheless, Gai was currently the strongest in his team, and he had become a Chuunin half a year before Yuina and Jun. Just as Kazuma had done with Midori, Obito and Kakashi, Akira had begun to withdraw himself from his team to make sure they could learn things on their own.

Kakashi suddenly felt the strong desire to turn back and return to the village, back to where Kazuma might be, and Obito and Midori, reassuring and comforting, welcoming him back. Immediately on impulse, he smothered the feeling and reprimanded himself for being so weak. He ground his teeth together, his hands tightening into fists and his feet slammed harder against the branches. He was on a mission; he had better things to do than wallow in self pity.

Akira glanced up at the young ANBU when he felt a slight disturbance in his steady, swift pace. There didn't seem to be anything wrong, but he didn't miss the boy's clenched fists. He had no way of knowing what Kakashi was thinking, but his mind automatically saddened. He looked back down in front of him, and though he was still worried about his team, he couldn't help but think that to the time many years ago. _Kazuma, he's a strong kid, but he's heading towards dangerous edge_.

(Flashback)

Kazuma raised his right hand with his index and middle finger raised. He stood before the Third Hokage with a group of Jounin gathered behind him in the meeting room. Akira stood among the Jounin and watched with surprise that was reflected in the faces of all of those gathered.

"The Kazuma led Team Two, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito and Nakamura Midori. Under the name of Yukisaka Kazuma, I nominate them to take part in the Chuunin Selection Exam."

The room fell silent for a moment, and then a murmur rose at once. Kazuma and Sarutobi locked gazes and stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. It was the latter who spoke and in doing so, effectively silenced the other noises.

"Kazuma, your team has definitely met the requirements for entering the Exam, but you must remember that they are still very young, and the Exam is particularly dangerous. Do you still wish to nominate them?"

"Hai."

"Very well, then. Next, those who are leading former Genin groups, step forward."

Once the Jounins had all finished nominating the Genins who wished to enter the Exam, the Hokage dismissed everyone and they slowly left the room. Akira made his way over to Kazuma and walked along side him.

"Are you sure about what you're doing?" he asked.

"Yes," Kazuma replied.

"If I remember correctly they're still around six years old," Akira said. "No one's entered the Chuunin exam at such a young age."

"I'm not worried about their skills," Kazuma responded, "and their teamwork is something to admire. I am nominating them because I believe it will be a good experience, not because I want them to quickly climb the ranks. On the contrary, I am hoping that they will survive the Exam, but not pass it." He smiled, but with sad eyes. "I am too selfish at times, Akira."

(End Flashback)

_But Kakashi became a Chuunin on his first try, and no matter how much you tried to hold them down, the other two quickly followed two years after. When they were ten, the girl was killed in battle. Soon after that, Obito and Kakashi rose into Jounin ranks. You became the Hokage, and the war ended, but peace did not last long. The Kyuubi attacked the village, and you sacrificed yourself. And then Orochimaru killed Obito_. Akira didn't turn his head, but lifted his eyes again to Kakashi.

_And then they selected Kakashi to become an ANBU. _

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Well, I'm back! Please look at my profile for details on this story (ie: my notes and ramblings).

Translations:  
Hakkou Chakra Tou: White Chakra blade (I should think)

Thank you for reading!  
.LinSetsu.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two:**

Gai crept to the opening of the small cave and parted the overhanging vines and vegetation. It was dark, with no moon to offer any sort of light. He strained his eyes to look around the area for any signs of anyone. He was both relieved and nervous to find no one. He shivered and withdrew from the opening. Jun lay by the wall, unconscious at the moment, and Yuina sat with a woman beside him. They looked up hopefully, but he shook his head and they lowered their eyes again.

"Don't be worried," Gai said. "The message must have gotten to the village this morning, so help should be on the way. And even if that bastard comes again, I, Maito Gai will surely defeat him!"

Yuina rolled her eyes. "If that shinobi was the only problem, we wouldn't be calling for any help, now would we?"

Gai dropped his thumbs-up posture. "Oh, right," he muttered, looking back down at Jun.

Their destination had still been a day away when they had suddenly been attacked by a shinobi. They had first thought it to be some sort of mistake, and tried to talk it out with him, but he wouldn't listen. It had been then that Gai had noticed that the shinobi didn't have a hitai-ate. While Yuina protected Renia, the woman they had to escort, Jun and Gai had fought against the ninja. Jun had been injured, and when Gai managed to create chance, they had run away into the cave they had fortunately found.

Jun stirred and opened his eyes. Gai and Yuina immediately bent over him.

"Are you all right?" Yuina asked. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," Jun replied, "don't bother so much about me." He pushed himself upright with a grimace.

"Don't push yourself," Renia said sternly.

"I'm sorry, Renia-san," Jun said apologetically. "Just because of me…"

"What are you talking about?" she said with a soft smile. "You're hurt, of course we'll stop and take care of you – "

"Sh," Gai suddenly hissed. He stood up, sliding into a taijutsu stance while Yuina knelt with a kunai in hand. For a few seconds, there was complete silence, but slowly, they began to hear a quiet mumbling that grew louder and louder.

"I know…I'm getting closer, closer to the flesh. I can feel it already; the wild sensation of cutting through the soft skin and resisting meat. Where are you my precious little preys?" The owner of the dark, slick voice stood just outside the cave. A hand plunged through the curtain of vines. Yuina flung her kunai at the hand, and threw two more at where she presumed the body to be. There was a sharp intake of breath, and then a low chuckle. The bloody hand withdrew, and not a second later, the whole cover of vegetation was torn away.

Gai leapt forward and struck the shinobi across the chest, successfully bringing the inevitable battle away from Renia and Jun. The ninja was tall and lean, his sleek, brown hair flatted on his head. He held a sword in one hand, though it was not a katana. Both edges were sharp, and the blade was wide. The shinobi's eyes held the gleam of a mad man, his wide grin holding no mirth, only insanity.

"I'll kill you all," he breathed.

"Not as long as I'm standing here," Gai responded.

Yuina watched uncertainly from the now bare entrance of the cave as the battle began. It was clear that the mad shinobi was more skilled than Gai. It had already been proven the night before.

"Yuina," Jun said, and she turned around. "Go and help him. You'll have a better chance of beating him if you work together."

"But – "

"I'll stay here with Renia-san," Jun cut in. He was kneeling beside Renia, and he held a kunai in his hand. "Don't worry. Go and help Gai!"

Yuina hesitated a second, but she nodded and left quickly.

Gai ducked under the sword, and swiped his leg over the ground. The shinobi leapt over it, and struck the blade into the ground. Gai rolled away, and leapt back onto his feet. Yuina rose into the air behind the ninja and flung a handful of weapons at him, which he stepped away from, and then blocked a high kick from Gai. He jumped back a little, and his grin faltered.

"You aren't him," he mumbled. "You aren't the marked prey. I want to kill him first. You only come later."

"He's seriously insane," Yuina whispered. Gai nodded.

"You're in the way!" the shinobi shouted, his eyes narrowing suddenly. Both Gai and Yuina became rigid, their eyes wide. Yuina began to shiver and her knees buckled. There was blood and death. She was slowly being cut into pieces, the shinobi's sword slicing into her body. The blood, the fire, it surrounded her in a merciless ring, drawing ever closer and burning her skin. Red; thick, dark, liquid pouring before her eyes. It was her blood. Her heart. Her body. Bony hands rose from the ground, grabbing her legs and arms, and pulling her into the depths of hell. She saw the melting faces of people, their pleading cries and desperate fingers. She screamed, falling onto her hands and knees. Then everything disappeared and she found her face wet with sweat and tears, her breaths ragged and irregular, her heart thundering in her chest. Someone was embracing her. She slowly lifted her eyes with effort and looked up into her teacher's calm, reassuring face.

"It's all right," Akira said. "You're safe, don't worry. We're here."

"Akira…sensei," Yuina whispered, and then fell into his arms, losing consciousness. Akira lifted her up and rose to his feet. Kakashi was by the cave, setting Gai on the ground. His student was pale and shivering, his eyes still glazed over a little. Akira made his way other to them, and carefully laid Yuina beside Gai. Kakashi stood up and turned to face the missing nin with his left eye firmly closed under the mask.

"Akira-san, please stay here," he said quietly.

"Will you be all right?" Akira asked. "I'll lend you a hand – "

"I don't need help against a mad piece of garbage," Kakashi cut in. He walked forward. Gai raised his head a little and managed to make out the figure through his blurred sight, walking away towards the insane shinobi. He wanted to yell out a warning that the ninja was dangerous but the oppressing feeling that he had just experienced, imaging a horrible death radiated from the madman again and he shuddered.

Kakashi's steps did not falter as he continued to stare straight into the shinobi's eyes. The cold, clammy feeling pressed in on him, but it didn't affect him. "The Sakki (1) you're trying to hammer into me isn't going to get you anywhere," Kakashi said. "It can only paralyse those with a weaker, more innocent mind with fear. I'm not the same as those two."

Kakashi dispersed the oppressing push of menace with a small amount of his own Sakki. The missing nin blinked twice, then his face split into a fresh, cold grin.

"You're worth killing," the shinobi said gleefully. "I'm Kirihara. They used to call me Kirihara the Slayer. What's your name?"

"The Slayer of the Hidden Mist Village," Kakashi muttered. "I've heard of you before. As for my name, I don't see the need to give it to someone who I'm going to kill."

"_I'm_ going to kill _you_!" Kirihara shouted, leaping forward with blurring speed. Then he disappeared before he came into Kakashi's attacking range. Kakashi stood still, and then he raised his hand and began to pull the ANBU katana out. That was all he needed to do to stop Kirihara's descending sword. The missing nin leapt back and Kakashi turned to face him again, pulling the katana out completely. Kirihara rushed forward again, and Kakashi pushed off he ground as well. As the Mist nin swiped his sword horizontally, Kakashi leapt up and over him, spinning clockwise and bringing his blade down towards his enemy. Kirihara grinned and twisted around, clashing the two blades together. Kakashi narrowed his eye when he felt the force on the other sword suddenly increase. He was hurled backwards, and as he landed, his feet dug two trails into the earth. He glanced down at his katana to see a small crack in the blade.

"A sword is a tool," Kirihara was saying. "The strength of a tool depends on the user and how he uses it. A tool is useless as a simple tool."

"Chakra, is it," Kakashi said as a statement rather than a question.

"Correct," Kirihara responded. He struck the sword into the ground and Kakashi felt the chakra whipping through the ground. He leapt up into the air as the earth around his feet exploded. Almost immediately, he spun around and blocked Kirihara's strike from above. Another crack was formed on the blade and Kakashi landed back on the ground. He jumped back as Kirihara came down at him, and his hands went through a set of seals. _Doton Iwatou no jutsu_. Multiple spikes of earth flew up from the ground, but Kirihara nimbly avoided them. He was laughing.

"You cannot kill me," he was saying. "Your tool is only a tool. My tool is a weapon."

"You talk too much," Kakashi said. Kirihara froze, looking around for his opponent who he had lost sight of amongst all the small earthen shafts. The ground at his feet exploded open and Kakashi leapt up, bringing the katana up in a diagonal slash. Kirihara swung his sword down to counter it, but felt a greater resistance than he had expected. The katana glowed white for a second, exerting a force that almost caused Kirihara to lose his balance. But the katana shattered. The maddened gleam returned to his face and his lips parted in a feral grin.

"My treat of the day! Let me feel your flesh!" Kirihara whispered, and swung the sword horizontally, that would cut Kakashi cleanly in half at the chest.

There was a large, white flare and a loud, metallic ring, along with the sound of splattering blood. Kakashi was bent low, his right hand holding the Hakkou Chakra Tou, which still emitted the flare of white chakra. The blade was embedded deep in Kirihara's torso and his sword was cleaved in half.

Kakashi stepped away, dragging the blade out and allowed the body to fall down. "A shinobi doesn't rely on tools," he said quietly, wiping the bloody blade on the grass and sheathing it. He turned away from the corpse. "A shinobi himself is a tool that he uses as a weapon."

He walked back across the clearing to where Akira was watching over his students. He looked up as Kakashi approached. Kakashi glanced at the three Chuunin to see them all with their eyes closed in slumber or unconsciousness.

"My mission ends here," Kakashi said.

Akira nodded. "I understand. I'll stay with them to complete their mission." Kakashi said nothing and was about to leave when he heard Gai.

"Wait," he said quietly. Kakashi stopped, but didn't straightened or turn around. "Kakashi…it's you, isn't it?"

Kakashi didn't reply for a few seconds. "No," he said finally, and then leapt away, disappearing into the night. Moving swiftly through the trees and shadows, he picked up the speed and closed his eye. He preferred to spend each passing minute training rather than allowing his thoughts to travel down his memories. It kept his mind focused and concentrated. _Having lost my reason to live, the only thing I can do now is get stronger. There's something higher; I need to achieve it._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi arrived back at the village several hours before dawn. He landed in front of the ANBU main building and took a moment to calm his breathing after the near sprint pace he had used on his way back. He pulled the mask off his face and leaned his back against the wall. The breeze that blew at him was cool against his skin and ruffled his hair. He didn't notice how long he remained still, staring at the buildings on the other side of the street. Finally, he pushed away and headed inside.

As he was stepped away from the stairs and walked down the corridor to the changing rooms, his attention was caught by a conversing voices from nearby room that he was familiar with. Nevertheless, knowing that he had no part in such a conversation, he reached out to open the door to the changing room. But then he paused when he heard the bang of someone hitting something and a voice rose angrily.

"You can send me instead of Hatake!"

"That's where the problem rises," replied another voice sounding rather weary. "They insist on sending him."

Kakashi glanced in the direction of the room and saw that the door was open a crack. He walked over to it and caught a glimpse of Yuki standing with both his hands on a desk. At the desk sat Horie Keiji, a middle aged man who was like the secretary of the ANBU. He was rubbing his temple with his eyes closed. Kakashi stood against the wall to stay out of sight.

"He just left yesterday for a mission – "

"I would expect him to come back soon," Keiji cut in. "The mission was to simply kill a missing nin in the south of the country."

"That is not my point," Yuki ground out. "He's just run down there, killed a shinobi and is running back up, knowing his personality. You lot seem to forget a lot, but he is still a child; he'll he tired."

"Yuki, this is enough. When have we had the leisure to allow someone to rest just because he is tired? This is the ANBU, not a bunch of Genin and Chuunin."

"Are you intending to – "

"Yuki-san," Kakashi said, stepping into the room. Yuki spun around and Keiji jerked his head up.

"Hatake," Yuki mumbled. "You were back…"

"You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine," he said. "I don't mind doing another mission."

"Sorry about this, Hatake," Keiji said. "How did your mission go?"

"Successful," Kakashi reported in a monotone, walking forward until he came up beside Yuki. "The missing nin, Kirihara the Slayer, was killed, and Akira-san is staying with the team until they complete their mission. Although the team had suffered minor injuries, it is not life threatening. The woman they were escorting was not harmed. That is all."

"Very well. Then concerning your next mission, you will follow a team of Genin who is appointed a Jounin leader. Your assignment is to keep watch over the Jounin. His recent acts during missions are slightly bothersome, but they are all listed down here." Keiji handed him a few sheets of paper, which Kakashi scanned through briefly. Then he looked back up at Keiji, clearly waiting for further instructions. The man hesitated, and then went on.

"If he does anything that would endanger the mission or the Genin, eliminate him," he said.

"What is their mission and when does it?" Kakashi asked.

"It's a simple one, to catch and hand over a minor crime culprit in the Land of Salt, which is an island on the outskirts of the Mist Country. They will be meeting at the East Gate at eight o'clock. Feel free to take a rest until then."

Kakashi nodded and turned away, walking out of the small office. Yuki, looking profoundly unsatisfied, was about to follow him out.

"Wait, Yuki," Keiji called back. Yuki reluctantly stopped but didn't bother turning around. "There's a mission for you too, take your usual group." He tossed a scroll at Yuki, who caught it but didn't look at it. "And don't bother a shinobi who's seeking strength with a more or less pure heart. You'll just get in his way."

Yuki narrowed his eyes and continued out of the room, pushing the door closed rather roughly. _Seeking strength with a pure heart? What a pile of bull! That boy is furiously trying to find a way to live!_ he thought angrily. He reached out to slam the door to the changing room open but he quickly stopped himself. He sighed once, trying to calm himself, and then pushed the door open in a more civilised manner. He found Kakashi sitting on the long, wide bench in the middle of the room, cleaning the blade of his father's sword. He had taken out his hitai ate to tie over his left eye. He didn't look up at Yuki entered.

Yuki sighed almost silently again and walked over to his locker. The room was in fact, quite large, with the line of individual showers to the left. With the wooden bench in the middle, there were a few lone items on it and around it on the floor, but other than that, the room was clean and organised. Along the right wall and the far side were personal lockers where each ANBU could keep whatever they wanted to, be it weapons or simply extra clothes. Yuki walked over to his locker, scanning through his mission instructions while he did. Seeing that they would have to start in roughly an hour, he began to change into his uniform so that he would have enough time to go and inform the rest of his squad. He was surprised when he suddenly heard Kakashi speak.

"Yuki-san, do you have an extra katana?" he asked. Yuki's typical instinct of playfulness kicked in immediately.

"Don't tell me you broke yours again," he muttered, turning around with a quirked eyebrow.

"Shall I tell you a lie then?" Kakashi retorted, though he still didn't look up from his already finished job.

"How many times do I have to tell you that a normal katana isn't going to be able to handle any chakra being poured into it?"

"It was unintentional," Kakashi said, sheathing the Hakkou Chakra Tou. Yuki almost breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the quiet, yet distinct tone of familiar irritation in his voice.

"Unintentional, eh? I have to think about that; whether it's a valid excuse or not," Yuki responded, rubbing his chin lightly while leaning his back on the other lockers. Kakashi closed his one eye for a moment, and Yuki was sure he rolled his eyes.

"If you don't, then I have to make a trip to the weaponry, so answer my question," Kakashi said.

Yuki grinned. He reached into his locker, took out his katana and tossed it to Kakashi. "Use that. I won't be needing it today." Kakashi caught the sword and thanked him for it. "Just bring the Chakra Tou as well though," Yuki added. Kakashi looked as if he would question him about it, but then simply nodded.

Just then, the door to the room opened and they both turned to see Nayu.

"Oi, Nayu! Are you crazy, this is the guys' changing room!" Yuki said quickly. Nayu rolled her eyes.

"Captain, I have the mind to check which presences are inside. Please don't take me as an idiot," she said.

Yuki rubbed his head sheepishly and offered a meagre apology. "Oh, but you came just in time," he said, surfacing from his act of foolishness. "Gather the others, the usual, and tell them to meet me at the North Gate in an hour. We have a new mission."

"Hai," Nayu responded crisply and turned to leave. Before she closed the door, however, she turned to Kakashi and offered a gentle smile.

Yuki closed his locker and settled his animal mask on his head. He too, headed towards the door that had just closed. "Well, good luck with your mission," he said as casually as he could manage. As he passed Kakashi, he turned to look down at him and added in a more serious voice, "Don't push yourself."

Kakashi didn't respond and watched Yuki leave the room from the corner of his eye. Then he felt his fingers brush against something and he looked down at the scabbard of the katana Yuki had given him. Etched into it, were the names of several people, including Obito.

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(1) **Sakki:** (I'm sorry I put in the Japanese word, it's just so hard to translate into one noun…) Basically, it means the something along the lines of 'menacing air/thirst for blood. It can be like the aura around someone who is really angry (eg: all the girls at the Academy when Naruto "kissed" Sasuke). In the context I used it, it is when someone pretty much drills the cold and hostile feeling/desire to kill into another person (eg: Orochimaru did this to Sakura and Sasuke during the second test of the Chuunin Exam. He made them see their deaths. This is chapter 47.)

_Doton Iwatou no jutsu_: rock towers

Thanks everyone!  
.LinSetsu.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: **

(Flashback)

Kakashi straightened and slipped his kunai back into the holster. Tied firmly against a tree before him were two shinobi, clearly unconscious, and bearing a few cuts and bruises.

"You're too neat, Kakashi," said a voice over his shoulder. He turned around to find Obito inspecting the way he had tied the two. He looked over to what his friend had done and found another two ninjas hanging upside down from a tree branch.

"These bastards! Who do they think they are!" Both Kakashi and Obito turned around to see Midori seething over yet another two, bound ruthlessly against a tree with large, throbbing lumps on their heads, swollen eyes, a bleeding nose and knocked out teeth. Obito visibly flinched when he saw this.

Nevertheless, he made a daring move. "Well, let's see, so far, I'm uninjured, so is Kakashi, and..." Midori turned to glare at him with a thin cut along her left cheek where a few drops of blood were running freely down her skin.

"Finish that sentence, Obito, and I swear we'll have to return to the village to hand you over to the medics," Midori breathed. Obito slowly closed his mouth and nodded several times. She crossed her arms and continued to glower at him, as if challenging him to speak up again. When all he did was shrink behind Kakashi, Midori huffed angrily. "Really, where _is_ Kazuma-sensei? It's almost an hour past the meeting time."

"Even so, this scroll must be something really popular," Obito said, pulling out the item from his back pouch. Kakashi cast his eye around the small clearing that was now full with shinobi, all knocked out cold or tied against something.

There was suddenly a rustle of leaves and all three of them pulled out a kunai and instantly fell into a battle ready stance. But then Kakashi recognised the presence and he straightened. A moment later, Kazuma landed silently before them with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said quickly before Midori could begin with her tantrum.

"Sensei!" she shouted nevertheless, and Obito clamped his hands over his ears. "One, if you're going to be late, tell us beforehand! Two, what are we going to do about this mess?" She pointed, almost accusingly, at the scattered shinobi.

"Midori, come here," Kazuma said, beckoning her towards him. He reached into his pocket for something.

"What?" Midori asked, moving forward with a little caution. When she stopped in front of him, Kazuma pulled out a small plaster and stuck it over her cut. Midori blinked, then her face flushed with livid anger. "Are you also trying to tell me that they're better than I am!" she screeched.

"Most certainly not," Kazuma replied calmly, though one brow was raised in mild curiosity. "I just didn't want a scar to form on your face. As for these ninjas, I suppose we could just leave them here. Someone is bound to come and collect them." With Midori still radiating an aura of anger and irritation, they set off on their mission to deliver the scroll to the Mist Country.

Obito eyed the dangerous girl and then turned to Kazuma. "She's just happy that we're doing a mission with you. After all, it's been almost half a year already since the last one we've done together – ow!" His hands flew to his head where Midori had just struck him. "What was that for?" he demanded, but she simply crossed her arms against and looked away.

Obito grumbled something about violence and girls under his breath. Kazuma was laughing softly and Kakashi glanced at Midori to see her eyes curled up happily and smiling.

(End Flashback)

Kakashi didn't like the mission. Nor did he like the three Genin and the Jounin that were doing it. Lastly, he didn't like the route they were taking to reach the destination. It brought back too many memories that he didn't want to be bothered with at the moment. The sun had set and the team stopped to set up camp for the night. Kakashi stood with his arms crossed on a high branch, hidden by the shadows of the darkness. His presence was concealed to a level taught only to the ANBU.

The Genin group was made up of two boys and a girl. On the details of his mission plan, he had found the names of each of them and the leader. The kunoichi was called Noriko and though she was small in stature with a serene face, her temper was short and her strength was impressive for a girl of her age. The mostly serious and non talkative boy with black hair was Kimura. It was easy to see that he was more or less the leader amongst the three Genin. The other boy was more timid and fidgety with light, messy hair. His name was Hiro. It was the Jounin that most disturbed Kakashi. His name was Kiyoshi and he had brown hair that was tied in a small ponytail at the back of his head, leaving a few strands to fall around his face. His grey eyes were gentle and often held kind laughter. It was those eyes, the way he talked and moved, the way he gave subtle suggestions that seemed to affect everything they were about to do; the way he smiled and laughed softly at the Genin.

He was almost exactly like Kazuma.

"Kiyoshi-san, we brought some dry wood," Noriko said, carrying them in her arms with Hiro beside her.

"You can pile them up and we'll start a fire to keep us warm for the night," Kiyoshi said, rummaging through his pack and taking out food supplies. When Hiro and Noriko began to strike the matches, he turned around and walked towards them. "Wait," he said, placing a hand on their shoulders. They looked up at him quizzically. He knelt in front of the pile of sticks and preformed a small Goukakyuu. The wood immediately blazed into fire.

"Wow," Hiro mumbled with wide eyes.

"It's just quicker this way," he explained. "And it avoids rising too much smoke, which will get you detected more easily if you were being tracked down."

"Can you teach us the technique?" Noriko asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid I can't. It's up to your teacher to decide what to teach you and when."

"That bastard doesn't teach us anything," Kimura said bitterly. "We've learned more things the past three days with you than we have in a year with him." Kiyoshi chuckled but made no reply.

"It's true that he doesn't teach us anything, though," Noriko grumbled, staring into the dancing flames. Kiyoshi rose, placing a hand softly on her head.

"Whatever someone does, they have a reason for doing it," he said, picking up the rations and returning to the fire with them. "So don't be rash about judging your teacher. Trust is very important for a shinobi."

"I guess so," Noriko said reluctantly, though she didn't sound all too convinced. Kiyoshi smiled knowingly at this.

"It could cost someone his life during a mission if he doesn't trust his comrades," he continued. "In the battlefields, you have no choice but to trust your back to your friends and fellow village shinobi. In turn, it is our responsibility to watch their back as well."

Kakashi narrowed his one open eye and his fingernails dug into his upper arms. Why was this Kiyoshi so similar to Kazuma?_ Not only does he act like Kazuma-sensei, his thoughts are running along the same lines as well. Trust…_

(Flashback)

It was soon after their graduation from the Academy and their success with Kazuma's bell trial. Kakashi and Obito stood with their backs to each other, leaving a little space between them. With kunai in their hands, they waited with slightly bent knees and searching senses. Then they suddenly moved simultaneously as shuriken were hurled at them from various angles and directions.

Without moving away or dodging the weapons, the two countered them all with the two kunai they each held. Kakashi batted away a series of shuriken and deftly threw his right kunai at a weapon coming from the side. His skin prickled when he heard a weapon approaching him from behind and he spun around on impulse. His sudden movement broke apart the harmonious balance he and Obito had created, and his friend glanced back at him uncertainly.

"Idiot, don't turn around!" Obito shouted, throwing his kunai to take down the shuriken that Kakashi had felt. "Behind you!"

Kakashi jerked around again to see a kunai directly in front of his face. He could easily avoid it by moving his head, but if he did that, the kunai would keep flying at Obito's back. He threw his right arm out cast aside the weapon, which cut him along his forearm. He winced, and the attacks stopped abruptly. Kazuma dropped down from the trees and Midori followed him.

"Are you crazy?" Obito said, walking up beside Kakashi. "Everything comes at me or 180 degrees on my side, they're mine to deal with."

"I know," Kakashi muttered irritably.

"Kakashi," Kazuma said, "I know your instincts move your body to counter everything that comes at you, but you need to learn to trust others, which is the whole point of this exercise. It's a good thing to be able to protect yourself when you're alone, but it' also as important to be able to trust your back to your comrades. If this had been in a real battlefield, then that one move would have killed both you and Obito. And it isn't just trusting your back to someone else; you have to protect their back as well. Trust is a large part of teamwork, and teamwork is the most important thing for shinobi."

Kakashi nodded.

"Then we'll try again," Kazuma said. "Midori."

"Hai," she replied, and they leapt back up into the trees. Kakashi drew out a second kunai and was about to take stance again, when he felt Obito's hand on his shoulder.

"Leave it to me," he said. Kakashi made no reply as the shuriken began to fly towards them. Although he reminded himself again and again not to turn around, to simply focus on what was in front of him, Kakashi found it increasingly difficult as the seconds went by. A kunai came from the side and Kakashi began to pivot automatically on his right foot.

"That's 175 degrees," Obito suddenly shouted. "It's mine."

Kakashi quickly stopped his rotation and swiped away a shuriken to his left. After several more second, heglimpsed another shuriken that came at a steep angle from above from the edge of his sight. Again, he pulled his shoulder back withouta thoughtto throw his kunai at it, when Obito cut in once again.

"It's 178 degrees parallel to the ground," he called while already shooting down the weapon, "and 80 degrees from the ground on my side, Kakashi."

"85 degrees," Kakashi corrected, taking down another series on his side. "Look properly, Obito."

Obito laughed.

(End Flashback)

After that, Kakashi had been able to trust his back to Obito and his team. Now they were gone.

Kakashi glanced down at the team he was keeping watch over to find them all asleep. He silently sat down on the branch, leaning his back against the trunk. He stretched out one leg and propped up the other. He looked back down the Genin, switching from one sleeping face to the next, until he finally came to Kiyoshi. Since the beginning of the mission three days ago, he had gained the trust and respect of the three Genin. They had come to no harm as of yet, both internally and externally.

They would be able to reach the sea at around noon the next day, where they were planning to take a boat to the island, Land of Salt. If Kiyoshi was going to do something, it would be after they left Fire Country.

Taking a last look down at the four shinobi, Kakashi closed his eye and allowed himself to slip into a light slumber, a phase during which he would still be able to detect any presences or disturbances, but still let his mind rest. During the night, several creatures came to take a look at the unfamiliar humans but left after a few moments. Both Kimura and Noriko hit Hiro once when he snored too loudly.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kiyoshi and his team of Genin had found a local ferry that was crossing the sea a little before noon. Kakashi had disguised himself with the henge into a cloaked traveller and had boarded the boat a little behind the team he was following. Now he was leaning his arms on the side of the moving vehicle, seemingly watching the waves roll by. In truth, he was watching an angry Noriko threatening to hang Hiro upside down on the side of the ferry. Hiro was certainly a little timid, but the few remarks he made contributed effectively in testing the temper of both Noriko and Kimura.

"_Midori! Stop it! I mean it, I take back what I said! You're still too violent for a girl, but I take it ba – Midoriiii!" Obito shouted, being hung already off the side of a fairly tall boat. "That's not the meaning of taking something back," Midori snarled, letting go of him once, and then catching him again by the ankle to stress her point. _

"_If you slip and fall down, we're both going into the water, you know that?" Obito demanded. Midori rolled her eyes and began to swing him from side to side, ignoring his shouts. _

"_Who's stupid enough to – " The rest of the sentence was cut off when she placed her foot on a wet section of the floor and lost her balance. Obito swore loudly and Midori screamed as she was pulled down by his weight. As they both went plummeting down, Kakashi was just in time to grab Midori's ankle. _

"_I'm surrounded by idiots," Kakashi grumbled. "What did you think you were doing? We haven't come here to play." _

"_Right, save the lecture for afterwards," Obito called. "Pull us back up, will you, the blood's getting to my head." Kakashi sighed and began to pulled them up, when he someone suddenly knocked him off his feet. His eyes grew wide as he too, was yanked overboard, and both Midori and Obito began to scream again. _

_When their fall came to an abrupt end, Kakashi looked up to see the person who had saved them and at the same time got them into such a mess._

"_Sensei…" he ground out through clenched teeth._

_Kazuma grinned down at all three of them. "I couldn't resist the temptation, you see. Don't be so stiff about it, Kakashi. Having fun is always important." _

"_I see little black dots in front of my eyes…" Obito groaned. _

Kakashi closed his eyes, ridding himself of the image of his teacher and team that had appeared exactly where Kiyoshi and the three Genin were sitting. He placed a hand over his eyelids and his cold fingers helped to disperse the laughing voices of those already dead. He was tired of seeing his memories take shape; he didn't want to see them. They weren't what he needed now. So why did they keep coming up?

"Um…Are you all right, sir?"

Kakashi started, turning his head quickly to the left to see Noriko at his side, looking at him with a little concern. He had to remind himself that he was currently a middle aged traveller. The hood of his cloak had been blown off by the wind, revealing his brown hair, which was laced with several white strands marking his age. Noriko and the others were also dressed in regular clothes to keep their real identities hidden before the locals.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine," Kakashi said. "I'm just a little sea sick, I guess."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I don't have any medication for sicknesses," she mumbled apologetically. She glanced out from the boat and a bright grin broke out on her face as she leaned forward over the railing. "But look, we're almost there! You can see the island!"

Kakashi followed her gaze. "You're right. I'll be all right, thank you, little lady."

Noriko smiled up at him and nodded, then trotted back to her team. Kiyoshi looked up at him and Kakashi bowed his head in casual friendliness, then turned his attention back to the slowly approaching island, trying to fill his ears with the roaring of the waves to block out the voices he heard in his head.

"_Sensei, Obito, Kakashi, look there, the island's come into sight!" _

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Thank you for reading!  
.LinSetsu.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four:**

Kakashi opened his right eye under the mask when a faint noise reached his trained ears. It was a moonless night and he was sitting on the flat rooftop of a local inn with his back against the low concrete block running along the circumference of the housetop for safety measures. He turned around and got to his knees to peer down the side of the three story high building. The small town was asleep, and no light came from any of the buildings. Then a figure slipped quietly out of a window on the second floor, and with only a short pause to close the window again, he leapt onto the nearest roof. Kakashi ducked under the wall to remain hidden, and then after a moment or two, he cautiously raised himself on his arms. The presence of the man who was leaping away over the roofs belonged to Kiyoshi without mistake.

Kakashi jumped lightly over the concrete block and stopped quickly beside the window Kiyoshi had just come out of. Gathering the chakra to his hands and feet, he came to a halt and glanced inside. The three Genin were still sleeping soundly, and he couldn't feel the presence of any clones, so he leapt away from the wall and onto the roofs.

He brought his thumb up under his mask and he bit the skin open. Flicking through a set of hand seals, he paused for a brief moment on a slanting roof to bring his hand onto the surface. _Kuchiyose no jutsu._ From a small puff of smoke appeared a lean, brown dog wearing a Konoha hitai-ate around his neck.

"My blood's scent should be on his vest," Kakashi said quietly to the dog. "It's faint, but it should be there. Can you pick it up?" The dog parted his lips to bear his sharp teeth and roll out his tongue. He gave an assenting nod and led the way. Tora, the dog, was probably the one with the sharpest nose for picking up very faint and distant smells. Kakashi knew that Pakkun had roughly an equal skill to Tora, but the young Pakkun was too loud and obnoxious of late, ever since he had discovered that he could talk several months ago.

During the trip to the Land of Salt, Kakashi had dripped a few droplets of blood onto Kiyoshi's vest when he had been preoccupied. The blood had landed on the red swirl at the back of vest, and would be difficult to detect by anyone. He hadn't expected that Kiyoshi would do nothing during the mission. If the suspicion the high ranking shinobi had on him hadn't been more than a trifling guess, they wouldn't have assigned the mission to the ANBU.

Kakashi followed Tora out of the village, and as he stared at the dog, he recalled his first summoning. Shortly after Obito's death and his rehabilitation, he had gone to the old and empty Hatake household. There he had found various scrolls that his father had left, the Hakkou Chakra Tou, and the Dog Summoning contract scroll.

(Flashback)

Yuki walked through the training grounds and approached the river bank where he found Kakashi sitting on a flat boulder by the water. He turned around as Yuki neared him. He had a day off from work, and instead of his ANBU uniform, he wore a casual shirt bearing the Uchiha symbol, and loose, Jounin trousers.

"It's quite unusual for you to call me out," Yuki said. "Something the matter?"

"I want you to teach me something," he replied. Yuki raised a questioning brow. Kakashi stood up and pulled out a fairly large scroll, which Yuki recognised immediately.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu, is it?"

Kakashi nodded. Yuki sighed and took the scroll. He undid the thin strings and rolled it out on the ground. There were numerous names already written, and his gaze lingered on the very last, Hatake Sakumo.

"You probably already know the theory behind it, and you've seen Kazuma-san and I perform it a number of times, but basically, you're summoning the chosen species of animals from another dimension. In order to do that, you have to first sign the contract by writing your name in the next open slot with your blood and your hand's finger prints at the bottom. Then the seals are boar, dog, bird, monkey, sheep. Bring a large amount of controlled chakra to the hand you signed with, and it should work, in theory."

Kakashi finished writing his name and pressed his fingers onto the paper. Then silently, he went through the seals and brought his hand down on the ground. Dark patterns and symbols slithered along the ground from his hands and a puff of smoke rose into the air. _Kuchiyose no jutsu_. When he took his hand away and the smoke disappeared, a very small, brown dog was laying in a bundle with its nose below its chubby body.

"A…bulldog puppy?" Yuki mumbled, not bothering to hide the heavy doubt in his voice.

"If one can even call it a newborn of the canine species," Kakashi added.

The creature in question flailed its legs a little and managed to roll over onto its side, from where it proceeded to sit up. Its extremely short, almost nonexistent, muzzle was a few shades darker than the rest of the body, and so were the hanging ears that looked too big for the small stature. It was difficult to even tell where the short legs were located. It looked up at Kakashi and Yuki with large, drooping eyes.

There was suddenly a second _pop_ accompanied with a thin puff of smoke and a second dog appeared, and one that actually _looked_ like one. Standing tall on long, stable legs, the short haired, black dog stepped out of the smoke and approached them.

"Ah…Kuronushi," Yuki said with recognition. The dog looked up and fixed his eyes on Yuki.

"Oh it's you," it said without much joy. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me it was you who called Pakkun out. You already have those annoying ducks."

Yuki chose to ignore the last sentence. "No, it wasn't me; it was him" he responded, nodding towards Kakashi. Kuronushi's eyes went to Kakashi and they widened a little, and then narrowed again.

"A Hatake," he said. Yuki nodded. "Sakumo's kid?" Again, Yuki nodded. "Well, I've been ordered to baby-sit Pakkun, so that's why I've come. Sorry to break it to you, but he's not ready to work yet, and I've decided that I'm not going to assist anyone for a few generations, unless it's an absolute emergency of course. So I'm going to be taking him back."

The puppy, apparently named Pakkun, seemed to have just discovered Kuronushi, and he turned around with a yip and a yap, and then stumbled onto his nose again when he tried to jump forward. Kuronushi gave an audible sigh and stooped down to pick up the pup by the scruff of the neck.

"I'll inform Boss about you, as the new user of us Dogs," he said as he turned around. "I'm sure there are some youngsters who are itching to get out here." With that, he disappeared in another rise of white smoke.

"You know the black one?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, he was one of Sakumo-san's most loyal companions," Yuki replied. "But you really _are_ a genius. It took me several tries to summon something more than an egg, you know?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kakashi mumbled under his breath. Yuki's eye twitched.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Hatake, stop playing innocent."

"If I had the time to play, then life would be much more relaxing, Yuki-san."

"…Cocky, big mouthed brat."

"Thoughtless, overgrown child."

(End Flashback)

The memory cut off at that moment and Kakashi had to take a short moment to try and recall what exactly had happened after that last remark he had made. Then it came back to him: Yuki had tried to wage a duck war against him.

Kakashi snapped back from his thoughts as Tora stopped, poised in an alert position with one foreleg raised and his nose into the air. They had left behind the small town and were now near the peak of a small cliff where on the other side was a narrow canyon that would lead to the sea in several hundred metres. Kakashi ascended the last few metres and staying close to the rocks, he peered into the dark canyon. Although he couldn't see very well, he could definitely feel Kiyoshi's presence radiating from below. He could also just make out the shape of a little hut in the gloom. Before he could move on, however, something moved and he withdrew back behind the cover of the rocks.

Presently, he saw Kiyoshi carrying something and rising the opposite canyon walls. Kakashi vaulted silently over the rocks and descended a little into the valley to make sure that it had been a hut. He landed in front of the shaggy shelter and noticed that someone had been using it recently. Without another thought, he leapt nimbly up the wall, following in Kiyoshi's footsteps and met up with Tora who was crouched low at the top. Unlike the other side, where the rocks slanted into a steep and jagged slope, it the ground was mostly level on this side, although there were many boulders and ragged rocks that jutted out from the surface, serving as the covers that he needed at the moment.

He ran from boulder to boulder until he caught up with Kiyoshi roughly a hundred metres from the canyon. The sound of waves crashing against rocks rose clearly and the smell of salt grew increasingly stronger. Kakashi held out a hand to signal Tora to slow down, and he stopped at the last cover, pressing his back against the rough rock surface. He peered beyond it and saw Kiyoshi at the edge the cliff, tying heavy stones to an unconscious person, who Kakashi recognised as the criminal they were meant to hunt down. He did nothing as he watched Kiyoshi attach several more weights, and then shove the thief off the edge.

"Forgive me, friend," Kiyoshi muttered aloud as he watched the drugged man plummeting into the distant water. Simply falling from the height and hitting the water could kill a person. "For my sake, you need to die here and now."

"What are you up to?"

Kiyoshi spun around at the sound of the soft voice that was only barely heard above the roar of the waves. His wide eyes fell on the lean figure only metres away from him. He recognised the uniform and mask immediately.

"What business does the ANBU have with me, so far from the village?" he asked politely, maintaining a casual demeanour.

Kakashi ignored his question. "You mission was to hand that criminal over to the authorities alive. And this is the Genins' mission; it is forbidden to do all the work for them. What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Kiyoshi replied calmly.

"There is nothing you can hide," Kakashi said. "Why did you kill him? Answer my question, Kiyoshi. I don't want to kill a fellow Konoha ninja for no reason."

Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes with irritation. Several thoughts ran through his head as he kept his silence. _I was being watched the whole time. Why didn't I notice him? More importantly, this means that the village is suspicious of me. No matter, I could guess that would happen. The task at hand is to silence him. Surely the Hokage wouldn't send more than one ANBU to deal with a mere Jounin. Judging from his stature and voice, he's no older than a teenager. Their hearts are still naïve. If I can kill him, then my plan can continue without a problem. Killing a boy shouldn't be too difficult, even if he is an ANBU._

"I suppose I cannot play innocent as I have been caught red-handed," he said aloud, a small, mirthless grin curling his lips. "But you talk of fellow villagers. Fellow villagers! I find then detestable! They are all fools and liars. They betrayed me, and so now I'm going to betray them. They can feel how much it hurts. As a child and a young shinobi, they all said my way of thinking and morals were very similar, almost identical to that of Yukisaka Kazuma. My family and relatives, the teachers at the Academy, all the villagers; they compared me to Kazuma and praised me. They were not false morals that I portrayed, they were and still are my own thoughts and ideas. But Kazuma was chosen as the Fourth Hokage. I was not even considered! Why him and not me, if our train of thoughts ran along the same track? Why he and not I, when we could surely be compared in characteristics and intelligence levels?

"It had to do with strength and skill. That was what I lacked. But the villagers had lied to me! They said that I had the potential to become the Hokage as well! And when it was finally decided, they talked as if it was natural that Kazuma had been chosen and not me. They betrayed me. So I will leave the village and gain strength. And then I will return and will no doubt be given the seat of Hokage. But to achieve that, I must leave as if I had fallen in battle and return like a lost hero who had wandered the many countries and back to his homeland. I _will_ be selected as the next Hokage. And you are the obstacle in my way."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, staring through his mask with one eye at the newly revealed man who had been the calm and wise teacher for the past few days. The resemblance to Kazuma was gone completely, as if it had never been there before. "I have heard your reasoning," he said quietly at last, "and have no regrets about killing you."

As the last word reached Kiyoshi's ears, Kakashi had disappeared from his sight and he felt the small trickle of a presence directly behind him. He spun around on his right foot and pushed away from the ground, the short katana held in the ANBU's hand slicing a line through is clothes along his upper arm. He landed several metres away from Kakashi and his hands flicked through hand seals. _Doton: Chuchi Yagara no jutsu_. Short, sharpened shafts of hardened soil pierced through the surface, flying out by multiples from random directions. Kakashi moved only a few paces from where he stood, wielding the katana in swift, controlled swings to block the arrows. Then seeing no possible end to this by simply dodging, he ran forward, nimbly making his way around and between the offensive weapons. When he came closer to Kiyoshi, near solid waves of the arrow shafts exploded from the ground from all sides. Gathering chakra to his feet, he leapt up at the last second, disappearing to the normal eye.

Kakashi came down behind his target, his blade already descending in a vertical slash. Kiyoshi swirled around just in time to raise a kunai to block the killing swipe. They disengaged quickly and Kakashi spun in a quick arc, bringing the katana in from the side, using the momentum to gain speed. Kiyoshi's kunai flew from his grip as it attempted to intercept the blow and he hastily created a further distance, which Kakashi closed in a few bounds.

Kiyoshi was thinking quickly as he slowed the ANBU down with the arrows shafts once again. When he had spun, he had clearly seen the silver hair. An ANBU so young and with silver hair and the rumours that had flared among the higher ninjas a while ago. _If this ANBU is Hatake Kakashi…_It was definitely worth a try.

Kakashi slipped past the earthen arrows quicker than the first try, and he avoided a greater wave of them that came to the side. He was taking too long, and he had every intention of killing Kiyoshi with the next strike. While still holding the sword in his right hand, he formed several seals and preformed the technique that he had recently finally perfected. _Shunshin no jutsu_.

"Stop, Kakashi."

The cold, sharp blade was resting lightly against the skin along Kiyoshi's neck. It quivered just a little, which was the only sign that revealed the slight shake of Kakashi's hand. He cursed himself as his one eye was fixed on Kiyoshi's face. The calm, stern voice and the subtle, but firm command, mirrored in his eyes, truly echoed Kazuma. Kakashi's grip tightened around the hilt and his teeth ground forcefully against each other. He was caught off guard when felt he felt an illusion wrap around him. He swiftly jumped back from Kiyoshi to see him smiling triumphantly.

"You see, I was never a combat specialist," he said smugly. Kakashi, try as he might, failed in dispelling the genjutsu; it had already gotten a hold of him. "My talents lay with illusions."

Kakashi's vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared again, he saw Kazuma walk out from behind Kiyoshi. With the cliff to his back, Obito and Midori approached him from both sides. He didn't stop to wonder if it was possible to create people one didn't know in an illusion. He knew has a fact that as the illusions became more advanced and complex, a shinobi could use his opponent's mind and fear again them. Almost as one, his former team rushed at him: Midori with her wind, Obito with his fire and Kazuma with the Rasengan. His reflexes wouldn't allow him to simply stand still before the attacks, and his own techniques would be useless against illusionary opponents. He leapt above them, escaping into the air, but their voices reached him, calling him and saying things they had said in the past.

He hardly noticed the pain of being engulfed in a streak of fire from Kiyoshi and falling over the edge of the cliff. The air rushed against him as he fell and the illusion faded away from his fazed mind. He cursed himself again and his hands tightened in seething anger and humiliation while he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. A last thought crossed his mind before he plunged painfully into the water.

_I am still…too weak. _

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Translations:

_Doton: Chuchi Yagara no jutsu: _Chuchi is earth or soil. Yagara is the shaft of an arrow. Or something like that at least.

Thanks for reading!  
.LinSetsu.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: **

Kiyoshi landed softly in the shadows of a tall building and found Kimura already at the meeting point. The boy looked irritated and impatient.

"No luck?" Kiyoshi asked.

"None," Kimura replied. "This is the fifth village we've searched and there's no sign of him. The authorities in the last village said that he was here."

"We have to be patient," he said. "We cannot act rashly and attract his attention. Perhaps the other two have found something. Let's wait for now."

Kimura nodded. It wasn't long however, until Noriko stumbled towards them, knocking a metal trashcan over in her hurry. She was panting and her eyes were wide.

"What's wrong, did you find him?" Kimura asked quickly. Noriko shook her head rapidly, gasping for enough breath to speak.

"I didn't," she replied, "but Hiro did…Saw him chasing the criminal…he told me to tell you. They went towards the coast."

"He went alone?" Kiyoshi asked with a frown, his eyes narrowed unhappily. Noriko nodded hesitantly. "We're going after them. Hurry up," he said in a clipped voice that they had never heard before. Noriko and Kimura quickly followed him up onto the roofs and struggled to keep up with his fast pace. Kiyoshi's lips curled into a small, satisfied grin, although he was careful not to let the other two catch it. The plan was working perfectly. He had assigned Hiro the area where he had placed his replica, knowing that the timid boy would do anything to try and get his team mates to think more highly of him. No doubt he would chase the assumed criminal instead of coming back to inform them. He had been a little uncertain when he had encountered the ANBU the night before, but he had crashed right into the waves and his body wouldn't float to the shore for another few weeks, judging from the strange patterns of the salt flows.

The three of them climbed up and over a tall ridge that separated the village and the sea, and then leapt down the steep slope on the other side. They were immediately greeted by the strong sea winds that smelled strongly of salt. There was a narrow, crescent shaped beach, which was rarely used by the fishermen. The tide had pulled the water out for the moment, and they quickly found Hiro. The boy was pinned down on the sand by earthen cuffs that were wrapped tightly across his wrists and ankles.

"Hiro!" Kimura shouted as they sprinted across the beach to their struggling team mate. Noriko was at his side, but Kiyoshi stopped and was standing still, carefully searching the area.

"Don't mind me," Hiro panted as Kimura and Noriko knelt by him. "Get the criminal! He's over there!" He nodded frantically towards the ridge on the far side of the beach where they could see a figure climbing the slope. "He's going to get away if you don't go quickly!"

"But we can't leave you here," Noriko reasoned.

"Don't worry, it'll take the tide a few more hours to fully sink this beach under water," Kimura said, watching the waves with calculating eyes. "We'll come back for you as soon as we catch him."

Hiro nodded, even as Kiyoshi ran towards them. "Let's go," he said. Kimura sprang to his feet and followed their leader and while Noriko looked a little more reluctant, she followed suit, leaving Hiro to struggle with the binds.

"Can't you cut them off?" she asked Kiyoshi as they ran across the sand.

"It'll take too much time," he replied. "And time, we cannot lose, or he'll get away from us. You've all learned the Shinobi Rules. The success of the mission is always given the top priority. Focus on the mission. That criminal is a ninja."

"Hai," Kimura replied. Noriko bit her lip but nodded. It didn't stop her from glancing over her shoulder though, once they reached the peak of the ridge. What she saw, however, made her freeze. Kimura called to her urgently and she guessed that Kiyoshi was engaging the criminal, but she paid him to attention. The waves that had been so calm and regular just a few minutes ago were now beginning to rush and churn, bringing the water closer and closer to their team mate with every wave. What really got her attention though, was one huge wave that was rising higher into an almost solid wall.

"Hiro!" she screamed, turning around completely and running back the way they had come, but she was stopped by Kimura who grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let go no matter how much she struggled. "Let me go! Hiro's in trouble! We have to go save him! Hiro!"

"We learned at the Academy that sacrifices often come with missions," Kimura snarled. "Our mission is to capture the criminal! Hiro did his part well by leading us to him. We have to help Kiyoshi-san!"

"Noriko! Kimura! Look out! Kiyoshi shouted from a little below them where he couldn't see the waves. Kimura was forced to let go of Noriko and pushed her off her feet to avoid their enemy's flying kunai. She was hardly paying any attention to the battle that sprung up between Kimura and the criminal, to which Kiyoshi was quickly added. By the time she recovered from hitting the roughly ground and regaining her lost breath, she glanced down at the beach again and was horrified to see the wave crashing onto the beach with a wild display of white foam.

"HIRO!" she screamed again, drawing some attention from the three fighters. She heard Kiyoshi curse softly, but the pounding of her heart in her ears was too loud. _Go back. Hurry up and go back!_ she thought desperately to the waves, although a part of her mind reasoned that no one would be able to survive under the force of such a wave. After what seemed like a lifetime, the water finally drew back, and Noriko's heart sunk with a sickening feeling. There was no trace whatsoever of Hiro anywhere on the wet sand.

Kiyoshi smothered the desire to grin. He shouted out Noriko's name as his clone sent a spray of poisonous needles at her. The girl didn't move and so he bit back on an irritated sigh and went to rescue her. He carried her away from where Kimura was now being kept busy with the 'criminal'.

"Noriko," he said gently. "Noriko."

"Kiyoshi-san…" she choked, turning to face him, her eyes brimmed with tears. He felt disgusted but he kept up the kind facade. "Hiro…he's…he…"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, Noriko." The pitiful girl buried her face into his vest and sobbed. He was about to put his arms around her when he suddenly heard a soft _pop_ and he snapped his head up. His clone went up in smoke and a confused Kimura took several steps back from the shadow that loomed behind the disappearing remains of the kage bunshin. Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes, which then widened with shock and disbelief.

The smoke cleared away quickly to reveal the silver haired ANBU. In one of his arms he held Hiro, unscathed, but unconscious, and in the other hand, he held asword that Kiyoshi had never seen in his life. The blade was radiating a white aura, which could not be anything but chakra.

"Hiro?" Kimura muttered. Drawn by the mentioning of the name, Noriko turned around and gasped. Kakashi walked forward and handed the unconscious boy to Kimura, and then sheathed the Hakkou Chakra Tou. Noriko attempted to rush to her team mates, but Kiyoshi wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close to him as he rose to his full height. Kimura looked up in alarm and Noriko struggle to breath. Her feet were hanging in the air and the arm dug into her throat quite forcefully.

"Kiyoshi-san?" Noriko whispered in bewilderment.

"After trying to kill one of them, you take another as a hostage?" Kakashi said, walking past Kimura and towards Kiyoshi. "How low do you intend to stoop?"

"As low as necessary," came the reply. "How did you survive the fall?"

"It isn't difficult to use chakra for cushioning," Kakashi responded. It hadn't been the impact with the water that had been the problem, rather the burns. The cold water did well to cool the scorched skin, but he had needed the rest of the night and the morning to concentrate on healing, something that every ANBU was taught. Although it was nothing compared to the treatment medic ninjas learned, it allowed the shinobi to control the chakra in the body to aid and quicken the natural healing process. Nevertheless, his clothes were ripped and burned in some areas and he looked more battered than before. Yet his mind was surprisingly clear.

"Kiyoshi-san, what's going on?" Kimura asked.

Instead of answering, Kiyoshi withdrew a kunai and placed the tip of it against the side of Noriko's head. "Get any closer and she goes," he said in a low voice. Kakashi stopped and a pleased grin spread itself on Kiyoshi's face. "Kimura, kill him, or I'm going to have to kill Noriko."

There was a moment of shocked silence, and then a slight rustle as Kimura slowly got to his feet. Kakashi didn't bother turning around as the boy lunged forward, all too innocently. Kimura brought his kunai in a quick arc at what should have been the ANBU's waist, but he disappeared and the weapon slipped through the air. A chill ran down his spine as he began to turn around, but his world went black as a sharp blow landed on the back of his neck.

"Useless," Kiyoshi spat angrily. He lifted his kunai to plunge into the girl's head before the ANBU's attention turned completely to him. Then he froze, glimpsing and sensing a stream of fire that snaked towards them from the side. He immediately let go of Noriko and sprang back, but watched with shock when the fire engulfed the girl and left no trace of any damage. She simply knelt on the ground, coughing and rubbing her throat.

"I thought you said that genjutsu was your strength," a voice said behind him, and he twisted around too late to block the sweeping kick that connected against the side of his head and sent him stumbling along the thin ridge. Kiyoshi snarled in frustration by being caught in an illusion so easily.

Noriko scrambled to her feet and dragged the unconscious Kimura to where Hiro was still laying. "Hiro, Kimura, wake up," she said, shaking them both by the shoulders. "Come on, wake _up_. Kimura! Hiro!" Slowly, Hiro stirred and open his eyes, and then Kimura also came around with a groan.

"What happened? What's happening?" Hiro asked in confusion as he watched Kiyoshi and Kakashi fighting a little distance away. "Isn't that an ANBU from Konoha?"

"I don't know," Noriko said, and her voice sounded pained. Kimura said nothing and merely looked on.

Kakashi ducked under a high kick and swung his right fist in a hook towards Kiyoshi's face. Kiyoshi dropped to the ground and swiped his foot in a low arc, which Kakashi leapt over with ease. He arched his back and flipped backwards, and as soon as his hands were free, they flew through a set of seals. _Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi_. After Obito's death, he had decided to learn all the techniques that his team mates had used. But he had been strangely reluctant with using them. Now, however, he felt nothing at all when the sharp winds sliced through the air in a flurry towards Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi slammed his hands onto the ground. _Doton Iwabougyou no jutsu_. The rocks rumbled and a solid wall rose from the ridge, which received many gashes from the winds but managed to stop them all. Using the cover, Kiyoshi continued to form several seals and activated an illusion. Kakashi felt the effects but did nothing to stop the genjutsu. He stood still and watched Kazuma, Obito and Midori coming at him with various attacks.

"A jutsu doesn't work on me twice," he said, shifting his head to the side to dodge Obito's punch. Kakashi flicked out a kunai and thrust it into his attacker's chest. He leapt back from Midori and Kazuma's combination, sending two shuriken into their necks. An illusion was an illusion. As he had expected, Kiyoshi had placed clones behind the illusionary figures to make sure he had hurt in some way or another. Clones, however, could not possibly imitate his team's strengths and skills.

Kakashi spun around and kicked the kunai out of Kiyoshi's hand just as he landed. Before he had time to recover, Kakashi followed through with a second kick that connected firmly to his neck. Kiyoshi flew backwards, landing on his back, but he quickly rolled upright and coughed with his hand over his throat. Kakashi, however, noticed that something didn't feel right, and he twisted around, only to find himself swallowed up in darkness. He couldn't see anything and he couldn't feel the sea wind either. The smell of salt disappeared along with the scents of everything else and he was left in the void. He suddenly felt pain as something sliced through him. When his hand went to the source, however, he found it uninjured. Several other blows landed on him at once and he grimaced, but once again, he found no injuries.

Several months ago, he would have thought himself in a tight situation with this, but he recalled a genjutsu scroll he had read a little while ago. His hands came together in a set of seals as he ignored the blows that continued to rain down on him. He searched the darkness and found what he was looking for after a moment: the overlap. _Kai_. The darkness receded and Kakashi instinctively threw himself onto the ground to avoid the large ball of fire that streaked overhead.

Kiyoshi looked shocked. "How?" he mumbled before he knew it. The Nihilism was something that no one had been able to break until now.

"Every genjutsu has a beginning and an end," Kakashi replied quietly, getting to his feet. "There is always an overlap in the illusion; it is only a matter of finding it. The poorer the illusion, the larger the overlap."

Kiyoshi's face contorted into further frustration and he lunged forward. Kakashi met him, and they engaged once again in a taijutsu battle. Kiyoshi pushed with the offensive, striking continuously and often using a kunai or needle to try and throw Kakashi out of balance and create an open. As they fought, Kakashi could feel the Jounin's frustation when not a single blow landed on Kakashi, who had fallen back onto mere defences. The frustration quickly ascended into anger and fury, which spurred Kiyoshi's attacks into becoming more forceful and quicker. But as Kakashi still dodged and countered, the anger became uncertainty and then finally spread into fear.

Panting, Kiyoshi bent down to slam his hands on the ground. _Doton Chuchi Yagara no jutsu. _Out of desperation, the arrows shafts sprung from beneath the rocks with increased velocity and numbers. Kakashi wasn't affected by the slight change from the technique he had seen the night before. He leapt through the sharp weapons with visible ease and as he came out of it, he jumped off the ground and struck Kiyoshi with a snap kick. He landed behind the Jounin and formed seals. _Ninpo Kiba Kaze no jutsu_. With the naturally strong blowing winds, using wind attacks were simple and took little effort to increase its effectiveness. Kiyoshi turned while he spoke. It was the last resort he could think of in his state of desperation.

"Enough of this, Kakashi," he said, his voice fairly level and calm. Kakashi once again saw and felt Kazuma before him, but he narrowed his eye and continued through with the attack. The chakra controlled wind ripped a long, deep gash along his chest and sent him high into the air with a gurgled cry.

Kiyoshi landed heavily on the steep slope that led down into the beach. He clutched his wound and gasped for air with his face pressed close to the ground. As Kakashi walked towards him, his right hand twitched and he quickly reached for the Hakkou Chakra Tou. He withdrew the blade and gradually poured chakra into it. Kiyoshi raised his face with an effort and Kakashi sped down the little distance down the slope with the blade positioned above his left shoulder for it to be easier to swipe.

Horror flashed across Kiyoshi's eyes, as he saw the blade and he had no possible means by which to either stop the sword or dodge away from it. Kakashi had a small fraction of a second to freeze his movements. When he finally stopped, the blade was merely a few centimetres away from the girl's heaving chest. Her whole body was trembling and her eyes were squinted shut but her feet were planted firmly in the sloping ground and her arms were outstretched, standing between Kiyoshi and his death. When she didn't feel anything hurt her, she slowly opened her eyes and looked imploringly at Kakashi, though she could only see the mask that covered his face.

"Why did you do that?" Kakashi asked quietly. "He betrayed Konoha and he tried to kill your team mate. He planned on killing all three of you by the end of this day. Why protect him?"

The girl's lower lip quivered for a moment, and she spoke hesitantly. "Because…I can't imagine Kiyoshi-san betraying us. He's so kind and he's a good person. He was probably just testing us. He was probably doing all this for our sakes. Kiyoshi-san wouldn't betray us! I trust – "

Kakashi's right eye widened and he snapped his left eye open when he felt a sudden surge of killing intent radiating from Kiyoshi. The Sharingan saw the chakra being gathered and Kakashi recognised the hand seals.

Kiyoshi couldn't believe his luck. The kids were useful until the very end. He finished the seal and pressed both his hands into the ground with some effort. A very thin, but sharp shaft erupted from the ground behind Noriko, which would pierce right through her and kill the ANBU as well. He grinned once again.

Without thinking twice, Kakashi pushed off the ground on his left foot, and swung his right out. It struck the girl to the side of her midriff and she flew to his left with a sharp intake of air, which brought her out of the line of danger and left him with the rock shaft pointed directly in front of his face. Only by using the Sharingan could Kakashi throw his weight and head back enough to avoid any serious damage. Still, the sharpened end struck the left side of his wooden mask, shattering it, but he twisted his body 90 degrees to allow the shaft to fly by in front of his face.

He didn't hesitate this time and acted as soon as the dander of the Iwatou no jutsu was gone. In one clean swipe of his blade, he cut open Kiyoshi's throat and his body collapsed back onto the ground. Kakashi straightened and ran a gloved hand over the blood that remained on the Chakra Tou before sheathing it. He glanced down at Kiyoshi to see some life still lingering in his disbelieving eyes.

"Sharingan no…Kakashi," he half whispered, half gurgled, almost inaudibly before his eyes glazed over and death took him. Half a moment of silence passed before the two other boys got up and ran over to the girl, making a large swerve around Kiyoshi's bleeding body.

"Are you all right?" Hiro asked nervously. Noriko nodded.

Kimura stood in front of the two with a kunai still in his hand and faced Kakashi with cautious eyes. "Who are you?" he asked. Kakashi looked away from the body and fixed the three with his gaze. They stiffened when they saw his left eye, but he took no notice.

"An ANBU," Kakashi replied. "My mission was to keep watch over Kiyoshi and kill him if he did anything that would endanger the mission or the team. He killed the real criminal last night and he had intentions to kill you three today. Your mission has been foiled by Kiyoshi. Return to the village and inform the Hokage-sama."

He turned away from the three and was about to leave when one of the boys spoke up. "Wait," he said. "It was you who save me from the waves, isn't it? Thank you."

Kakashi glanced at them over his shoulder. "I only did so because your two team mates understood too little about team work and its importance. If you have your nose stuck too deep in the Shinobi Rules it's going to cost you something very dear and you'll regret it. Between the stake of your comrade or your mission, save your comrade and not the mission. That's team work."

Kakashi disappeared into the wind, leaving the three in the midst of swirling thoughts and emotions. Noriko kept from looking at their dead leader and kept her gaze trained on her hands. Kimura was still staring at where the ANBU had stood. Surprisingly, it was Hiro who spoke.

"I think," he said slowly, "we were all tricked by Kiyoshi-san's kindness and understanding." Slowly, Noriko and Kimura nodded their agreement. Then Noriko stirred and looked up at Hiro with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry we left you down there. I had no idea that the tide came up so quickly. If it weren't for that ANBU, it would have been our fault that you…that you…"

"Don't worry, I'm safe now," Hiro reassured, with a small smile.

"Hiro, Noriko, forgive me for my idiocy," Kimura said. "I promise that I'll never leave you again. We're a team." Hiro and Noriko nodded readily.

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**Translations:**  
Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi: sickling winds  
Doton Iwabougyou no jutsu: rock protection  
Doton Chuchi Yagara no jutsu: earthen arrow shafts  
Ninpo Kiba Kaze no jutsu: wind canines  
Iwatou no jutsu: rock towers

(Wow a lot…)

Thanks to all for reading!  
.LinSetsu.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: **

In the ANBU changing rooms, Kakashi turned the shower off and stood still for a moment, allowing the water to drip out of his hair and down his body. His eyes were both closed and he leaned his back against the smooth wall, ignoring the shiver that crept along his skin at the sudden cold contact.

Although he had heard several voices in the rooms along the corridors, the changing room was empty. It wasn't very surprising though. Missions usually began and ended either before or just after dawn or during the night hours. It had taken him roughly a whole day to get back to Konoha due to the transportation across the sea that had become quite wild in the past few days. He had already handed in the mission report and in there, he had written that he would expect the three Genin to arrive in another two or three days. He hadn't been given another mission. Either they wanted him to go through ANBU training or they were giving him a small break. The latter was highly unlikely.

Finally, he pushed away from the wall and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off and pulled on the casual Jounin outfit, then left the small cubicle. He crossed the room to his locker where he hung up the towel and took out the Hitai-ate, which he tied on and pulled over his left eye. He hadn't intended to use the Sharingan, but his reflexes had simply opened the eyelid. He shrugged. It didn't matter much anyways.

He pulled the green vest over his loose shirt and also pulled out Yuki's katana. He found the carved names again and read over them more carefully. The markings weren't done professionally, as the writing was quite messy and ragged, as if Yuki had used a knife to etch them in.

The door opened just then and Kakashi looked up from the scabbard. Three shinobi walked in, conversing quietly and expressing their relief for being back. Kakashi recognised them as the male members of Yuki's ANBU team.

"I flatly refuse to move another muscle for two days at the least," one of them was saying. Then they seemed to notice him and they greeted him quite pleasantly. Kakashi got along with everyone of Yuki's team, and he suspected that it was due to the Uchiha's influence.

"Good to see you whole, kid," one of them, Banto, said with a grin.

"And good to see you here," another by the name of Takashi said. "Captain told me to find you, wherever you were, and bring you this." He undid the strap around a second katana and gave it to Kakashi.

The third man, Fuji said, "While we were running around the Five Countries, we came across a good sword smith and Yuki insisted on bringing that back for you."

Kakashi took the sword with a curiously raised eyebrow. By 'came across', he knew that they had been entangled with the swords smith come way or another, but he didn't ask. Nor did he inquire about the 'running around the Five Countries'. While he still held Yuki's katana in his hand, he unsheathed the new one and briefly inspected it. It didn't look to be any different than all the other swords, but he didn't word his thoughts. The others were already changing or heading towards the showers.

He turned and placed the new katana into his locker and was about to close it, when he saw the door open again. Yuki walked in, yawning and stretching his arms. "Oh hello," he said when he spotted Kakashi. "Did you just get back or are you leaving again?"

"Got back," he replied.

"Good. Did Takashi give you the katana?"

"Do you think I wouldn't if he was standing right in front of me?" Takashi's voice called from inside the showers. Yuki chuckled.

"You never know what goes on inside your head," he shouted back.

"Captain, might I shoot those exact same words back at you?"

Yuki laughed this time but chose to ignore his subordinate's words and he turned back to Kakashi. "I worked with it for a day and it felt sturdy enough. So I thought I'd try and give it to you and see how long it lasts."

"We've all places bets on it, so don't let us down, Hatake!" Banto said cheerfully before he disappeared into the showers. Kakashi simply shrugged.

"I'm glad to see you didn't break mine," Yuki said, catching sight of his katana in Kakashi's hands. "How did the mission go?"

"Successful," Kakashi replied, handing the katana back to Yuki. He couldn't help but feel that it had been successful in more than one way. Of course, he had fulfilled what the superiors wanted him to do, but he had also noticed that he hadn't been troubled much by his past on his way back – or to be exact, ever since he had fallen off the cliff and into the water. Memories hadn't appeared in his head every time he looked at anything and the illusion Kiyoshi had tried to place him under hadn't affected him at all.

Yuki managed to keep his expression casual as he nodded and headed towards his own locker. Something was different about the kid. He couldn't say exactly what, but it troubled him. The haunting look in his eyes had seemed to have faded, but something else seemed to have disappeared as well. He continued to think through the differences as he changed and almost didn't register the fact that Kakashi had addressed him.

"Huh, what?" he asked, turning around.

"I just asked about the names you have on the sheath of your katana," Kakashi replied.

"Names?" He pushed his thoughts completely aside, and focused on what Kakashi was asking about. "Oh, those. You saw them?" He grinned briefly, pulling out the sword in question again and ran his fingers over them. A deep, sad look flickered in his eyes for a moment before he spoke again. "They were all precious people to me," he said at last. "They're all dead now: my Jounin teacher, my team mate, my girlfriend, Sakumo-san, my ANBU superior, shinobi in my past squads, and of course, Obito. This is the way I've dealt with all their deaths; it's the only way I could think of. By carving their names into the scabbard of my katana, I can honour them and at the same time remember them. This is my of dealing with my past."

Yuki shrugged but said nothing more. Kakashi only nodded, then made his way out of the changing rooms. What else could he have said anyways? In the back of his head, he was envious of Yuki, who could get over the deaths just by etching their names onto the scabbard. But he didn't think too deeply about that and turned his thoughts to what he might be able to do with the rest of the day. He doubted that he would have long before the ANBU came up with something to do with him. He could always go to the cliffs in the far areas of the training grounds to train a little.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard one of the doors open and someone called him. Kakashi turned around to find one of the senior ANBU walked towards him.

"It's good I caught you before you left," he said. "You're to participate in the Combat Training, Phase Nine tomorrow at dawn in front of Arena Eleven."

That explained the absence of a mission at least. Kakashi nodded his understanding, then climbed the stairs without another word. The Combat Training was one of the many that new members of the ANBU went through. During the first two years, an ANBU went through various training that was never done with the Jounin. They included learning new and secret techniques, toning their body and mind above anything that was thought possible, going through interrogation sessions that included the use of mental and physical torture, and so on. All of them added up into strengthening the ANBU beyond their limits.

Kakashi was stopped for a second time as he was about to step out of the building. He turned once again and was mildly surprised to see Nayu coming up the stairs in a light jog. She smiled as she caught up.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hello," Kakashi replied. They both walked outside into the sunlight and made their way into the less used streets where the Headquarters were located.

"So, how are you?" Nayu asked.

"Fine thank you, and yourself?"

"I'm all right, though I'm quite tired. You know Yuki-san, he wanted to get the mission over and done with as soon as possible. It was especially worse at the beginning; he seemed to have been quite frustrated. He turned that anger into making us putting double the effort into the mission." She chuckled. "If you were in the changing rooms, I suppose they gave you the new sword?"

"I don't see what's so special about it, but yes, I did receive it," Kakashi said. He always made himself talk a little more than he liked when Nayu was with him. It was part of the guilt that he still felt from Obito's death. She very rarely brought the subject up, but like Yuki, she often came to him to talk. While he could still maintain his passive silence with Yuki, it didn't work with Nayu.

"Actually, we chanced to meet another squad and Yuki-san completely lost his temper with them," Nayu explained. "He had been in charge of the sword at that time and we were quite sure that he would start a fight with the other squad. Luckily, if you call it that, enemy ninjas ambushed us and Captain managed to keep the fighting verbal with the other squad and took out the physical anger on the enemies. And when Yuki-san fights when he doesn't have control over his temper, things usually get ugly. But at the end, Fuji pointed out that the katana hadn't broken. Once Captain got calmed down, he began to insist that he bring it back for you."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Shinobi are trained to keep their emotions in check," he mumbled.

"Yes, well, there are exceptions. The topic went onto the subject of sacrifices and the success of missions." Kakashi's expression immediately turned darker, and Nayu didn't miss it. She quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, I betted that the sword would break during the first five missions."

"I agree," Kakashi said.

Nayu smiled knowingly and they came out into one of the main streets. "I'm going to meet a few of my friends from now," she said. "Want to come?"

"No thank you," Kakashi replied immediately.

She laughed. "I knew you'd say that. I'll see you around then!" She waved and disappeared into the crowds. Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets and was about to step into the street as well, but he quickly decided against it. He leapt over the people instead, landing on top of a building on the other side of the street and continued over the rooftops. He intended to follow through on the plan of going to the cliffs, but he first made his way towards the Memorial. It was more of a habit instead of an actual detour that he planned.

It didn't take him long before he landed softly on the grass before the large black stone. Yet unlike before, he wasn't immediately swept into the timeless swirls of memories. There were a few moments before that happened, during which time, he merely stared at the names. Then his eye became gradually unseeing as he recalled a memory from many years ago.

The sun was setting while he, Obito and Midori sat sprawled on the grass in the training grounds, sweating and heaving after some sort of exercise. Midori had thought it would be fun to try and get the mask off his face. She had asked Obito to teach her the Goukakyuu, and she hadn't succeeded. Then Kazuma came and told them news about the increasing tensions of the war. He remembered that their teacher had also told them to get ready for new missions.

Suddenly Kakashi blinked and he found himself back in front of the Memorial. He frowned a little. What had happened after that? He was sure he hadn't forgotten; it took a lot for a shinobi to forget things. Had he stayed to train longer, or had they gone separate ways? Had the conversation continued? More out of curiosity, Kakashi replayed the memory, but it was almost as if it stopped at the same place.

He was so caught up in the issue that he almost missed the swiftly approaching presences. He didn't bother to look up though, as he continued to try and remember. It was only when someone burst out of the trees that Kakashi tore his eye away from the Memorial and saw Genma and his two team mates burst out of the trees. At that same moment, things snapped back in his mind and he saw himself walking with his team back to the village. That was it. Midori had told Kazuma all about their chase.

The thought was quickly pushed out of his mind though as he watched Genma grab a punch from one of his team mates and throw her over his shoulder. He then leapt back from Mie's drop kick and was about to throw a handful of shuriken when he noticed Kakashi for the first time.

"Whoa, hold it, hold it!" he said loudly, which brought the other two to an immediate standstill. He then turned to Kakashi. "Sorry, didn't know we'd come so far." Kakashi shrugged and shook his head once to indicate that he didn't mind. "You busy?"

"No," Kakashi replied.

"Then why not help us with our training," Genma suggested.

"But if it's you two against us, then we won't ever have a chance," Mie pointed out. "Of course, if it was us three against you, Genma, that would be great."

Genma snorted. "You must be kidding."

"Well what if we do it this way: Genma and I can partner up and Mie and Kakashi-kun become a team?" the other member suggested.

The team was a rare combination of two girls and a boy. It was usually two boys and a girl, for the simple fact that there were more ninjas than kunoichi. The two girls, Mie and Kim were average Chuunin and they were content with their status. Genma though, had every intention of moving onto a Jounin. They occasionally went on solo or separate missions, but when they were in the village, they often spent time together.

"No, I'll partner with Genma," Mie said with a meaningful glance at Kim, who faltered for a moment and a little colour rose into her face. "Just because Kakashi-kun and I can both Summon, it would be unfair if we were both on the same side."

"Well, I don't mind either way," Genma said, quite oblivious to the half-felt glare that Kim shot Mie. "Want to try?"

"Sure, why not," Kakashi responded. It would be more interesting than climbing the cliffs in any case. It wasn't the first time things had turned out like this. He knew it would eventually lead to him fighting Genma while the two girls watched, or on several occasions, held a battle of their own.

Things turned out just as he had predicted.

Mie stood leaning against a tree beside Kim who was sitting down. They both looked a little ruffled by the training since Kakashi had entered it. The new addition, as expected, had motivated Genma to great extents and the two kunoichi had also been forced to concentrate more and push themselves to keep up. After roughly twenty minutes, however, they had both dropped out, panting and low on chakra, leaving the two boys to continue.

"Does he bother you?" Mie asked with a sly grin. Kim started and jerked her head around a little too quickly. Mie's grin only widened.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" she demanded.

"You've been following him with your eyes ever since we came out," Mie said.

"I was just thinking that he's good," Kim insisted.

Mie rolled her eyes and bent her head down to Kim' level. "Don't even _try_ to fool me," she drawled. When the blush returned to her friend's face and she didn't retaliate, Mie giggled. "Going for the younger boys, are you?" she teased.

"Mie!"

"I'm joking, calm down."

Kim scowled, as if wanting to say something else, but she settled against the trunk again and said nothing. Mie continued to grin, but kept her part of the silence as well while they watched Kakashi and Genma fight in the large clearing.

Kakashi shifted his head to the left to dodge Genma's fist, then ducked under a swiping kick. He swung his left foot around in a low arc, but Genma leapt over that. As soon as his feet left the ground, Kakashi put an immediate stop to the momentum and pushed off the ground with a small burst of chakra. Genma tensed, not expecting the sudden follow through to come so quickly. He braced his arms in front of his chest where Kakashi's kick impacted with more force than he had calculated. As his feet slid out from beneath him, Genma threw his weight back and flipped over his hands. As soon as he landed in a crouch, he formed a quick set of seals and brought his right hand up to his lips.

But Kakashi beat him to it. _Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu_. The stream of fire roared over the ground towards Genma even as he landed. He immediately threw his weight to the side and rolled over his arm, though he was careful to keep the chakra gathered in his lungs. Once he got back to his feet, he leapt up into the air and completed the jutsu that Kakashi had stopped him from performing.

_Katon Housenka no jutsu_. The multiple flame balls rose up into a circular wall around Kakashi, who seemed quite calm in the centre of the heat and fire. As Genma landed back on the ground, he lost sight of his opponent amidst the angrily rising flames. It didn't take long for it to disappear, however, and he stood with his knees bent in a cautious stance. Alarm bells shrieked in his head when there was no sign of anyone in the thick smoke. His eyes darted left and right, and he was about to turn around when a small rush of the air told him of a presence behind. Without bothering to face Kakashi, he pushed himself forward, and spun around after he began his escape. It didn't get him far enough though, and Kakashi's foot connected painfully against his stomach.

Genma coughed and as a reflex, doubled over with one hand pressed against the source of the discomfort. He jerked his head up though, only to find a strong blast of wind being hurled at him. The power of it blew him off his feet and he reached out with his other hand to help him skid to a stop. When he looked up once more, Kakashi had disappeared yet again. Genma straightened but instantly froze, his whole body tensing as he felt the cold tip of a kunai being pressed to the back of his neck. One wrong move on his side would allow the kunai to plunge into his neck, which would certainly kill him or render him immobile at the best. Instinct kept him from making any movements.

"You keep your back too open," Kakashi said, removing the kunai and replacing it into his holster. Genma relaxed his tense muscles and turned a little to see Kakashi walk up beside him, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"I know," Genma sighed. "But I usually manage."

"Not when you're surrounded or when you can't feel the other's presence soon enough."

"Always was my weak point and it still is," he grumbled exasperatedly. "How did you get over it?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Used a blindfold."

"What?"

"You use your eyes too much; you can't feel a presence with your sight," Kakashi replied. "So to sharpen your other senses, make the eyes blind."

"You do realise how difficult that'll be to accomplish?" Genma muttered with an incredulous look.

Kakashi shrugged. "I managed, and Gai's working on it, aren't you?" He glanced over his shoulder and stared up into the trees.

"I would expect no less from my Eternal Rival," came the enthusiastic response, which made Genma roll his eyes and drew a groan from Mie and Kim. Kakashi turned away, closing his one revealed eye and started to walk away. "Hey wait! Kakashi! You have yet to see my glorious appearance!"

"Get over it, Gai," Kim called out. "It won't be glorious and you'll probably blind us all to death with the sun shining off your teeth."

"You do no have to worry, Ms. Kim! I will not mess it up!"

"Oh I'm sure you won't," Kim mumbled under her breath. "If you _don't_ mess us, we'll end up dead. See the logic."

"Whatever, just _come down_," Mie ground out.

"Watch me, Eternal Rival!" Gai shouted, and then came tumbling down from the trees, landing in a graceful crouch on the forest floor. Expect for the fact that his right hand was up with the thumbs-up and the sun really did glint off his teeth in a blinding flash of light. Genma shielded his eyes with his hand while his two team mates flinched. Gai's over confident posture and expression crumbled, however, when he realised that Kakashi still had his back towards him.

A vein immediately popped up on his temple and he stamped his foot on the ground while he pointed his finger accusingly at Kakashi. "What is the point of making a great appearance if you're not going to even look?" he shouted. "Dammit Kakashi, are you even listening to me!"

"No," Kakashi said. "There's nothing useful to listen to anyways."

Genma could almost hear the kettle whistling as the water boiled in Gai's head. Apparently, the others seemed to have notices as well, since Mie suddenly spoke up in a more serious voice.

"Gai, are you alone?" she asked. "What about Jun and Yuina?"

The question successfully cooled Gai's head and he faced her with a sterner face. He sighed. "Jun is being treated in the hospital. We just got back yesterday from a mission, during which he was injured. Yuina's with him at the moment." He then turned to Kakashi and all the foolishness disappeared from his eyes. A small frown was tugging at his brow, which was an unusual expression on the always positive and hard working boy.

"But you know that, don't you, Kakashi?" he said quietly. "You were there; you fought that madman. You're a part of the ANBU, aren't you?"

Genma's eyes snapped up with surprise. He looked at Gai, who looked too serious to be kidding, and then at his team mates, who seemed equally shocked. Then he turned to the one in question, to see that Kakashi's back was still turned to all of them. A few long moments of silence followed.

"ANBU?" Kim repeated at last. A small, uncertain smile appeared for a second of her face before it was gone, as if she hoped that Gai was playing some sort of bad joke. "You're kidding, right? I mean he's…" Her voice trailed away but the thought continued in her head. _He's only fifteen_.

Gai didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on Kakashi's back. When he spoke, it wasn't directed at Kim or her team. "I saw your silver hair; it's a rare colour and you don't see it everyday. I recognised your presence, Kakashi, even though it was a little different from usual. You denied it back then, but I know it was you."

Another reign of silence followed, until Genma couldn't stand it anymore. He stirred and looked around at the group again, his eyes falling on Kakashi last and staying there. "Kakashi?" he prompted quietly. He took a step towards him, but hesitated and then stood still. He might have imagined it, but the air had grown colder around the younger boy, as if warning them not to come any closer.

Kakashi still didn't reply. He hadn't told any of them that he had become an ANBU, just because he hadn't felt the need to. It was usual in any case, than an ANBU would keep that identity hidden to all save a precious few. That was why many of the ANBU were given codenames by their superiors if they needed to become a part of a Jounin, Chuunin or even a Genin team. Kakashi didn't have anyone to tell, and Yuki, Ryo, Nayu and a few others knew anyways, since they were also ANBU.

He finally shifted a little and turned his head so that he could see them all with his right eye, but he focused his gaze on Gai. "Last time I checked, I was a Jounin," he said.

There was a second of stillness before Gai burst, "That's a lie! You were there! I saw you!" Kakashi turned and began to walk away again, which caused Gai to rush forward. He grabbed Kakashi's shoulder and turned him around. "Tell me the truth, Kakashi! Are you – "

"Gai," Kakashi cut in. Gai froze and would have flinched away if he hadn't stopped himself. He felt like someone had poured ice water down his spine. Kakashi's voice was hard and cold, just like the night the ANBU had fought with Kirihara. The word itself lashed out with a much more tangible warning that his instincts would not allow to be ignored. Then the air disappeared as suddenly as it had come and Kakashi continued in his usual, blank and laid-back tone. "You can work with Genma on your blindfolded training. He'll catch up with you soon enough."

Kakashi pulled away from Gai's hand and leapt up into the trees before anyone could stop him again. Gai slowly lowered his raised hand and stared at the place where he had last seen Kakashi. He scowled and his hands tightened into fists in irritation.

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Just a quick peek at the other characters Kakashi spends some time with.

Thanks for reading!  
.LinSetsu.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven: **

Kakashi jumped off the roof of the last buildings and walked the rest of the way to Arena Eleven. No one was up yet, so he had no need to keep himself out of sight. Over his ANBU uniform, he wore a dark cloak with the hood pulled over his head and the canine mask over his face. He walked over the dew-covered grass, the small droplets of water dampening his shoes. It was still dark and the thick clouds promised to prevent the sun from appearing too often in the day. It was just as well. The last thing he needed was for the sun to be blazing down on them during the training.

As he neared the fenced arena, he found another robed figure standing there. He recognized the raven mask and nodded his head in silent greeting. Kenzo, the training instructor returned the nod. Kakashi folded his arms under the cloak and leaned casually against the fence. Within a minute or two, the other seven candidates arrived and Kenzo stirred.

"You know the rules," he said. "No killing, no conspiring, no individual team work and you follow my orders without question. You're alone the moment you get in. The only communication is one sided, from me to you all through the individual transceivers. A few things to add to this Phase Nine: it will only end when all candidates are down. There will also be several others who will join the battles. That is all. Go."

No one waited for another second. Kakashi cleared the high fence in one leap and he dropped down on the other side. Arena Eleven would be an interesting place to hold the training, he quickly realised. It was the shape of a circle, but it was only a hundred metres in diameter. Running along the circumference was a very dense bush that kept curious youngsters from knowing what was really inside and to keep them out. Beyond that, the Arena was divided into four sections. The outermost area was a ring of trees. The next ring was a mud ditch roughly ten metres deep. The next was a constantly running river, with the current being strong enough to wash an adult effortlessly away. This didn't make standing on the surface impossible, but one had to have an extreme amount of chakra control. In the centre of it all was a pool of swamps, with several rocks jutting out of it for footing.

As soon as he was inside, Kakashi leapt through the trees, creating as much distance from the others as possible. Since they all had that same thought, it wasn't all too difficult. When the nearest other ANBU was at least several leaps distance, Kakashi stopped and stood on a branch where he could see all the different areas of the Arena. There was almost a full minute of silence and stillness before he heard the soft crackle of the transceiver positioned close to his ear.

"Masato," he heard Kenzo's voice say softly. Kakashi immediately pushed away from his branch and headed to his left. The first ANBU he found was the one he was looking for. Masato was standing near the base of the tree, unmoving, whether he noticed the presences of all the other candidates approaching him or not. Kakashi kept his own presence fairly well hidden as he went through a set of hand seals. _Fuyukaze no jutsu_. Although he never liked using that particular technique that Obito had learned during the Jounin Exam, Kakashi knew that if this training was going to continue until all of them were unable to fight, it would be a very long training. He doubted that any of them wanted that to happen, and he was keen to end it as quickly as possible.

Masato sprang away from the blast of cold air, his hands flying through seals. He hit his right hand on the ground just before the ditch, and a thick wall rose at an incredible speed, shielding him from the icy winds. A suddenly stream of fire came from behind him then, and he was forced to throw himself into the muddy ditch. Kakashi watched Masato's robe burning on the ground and saw four of the ANBU follow their target down. Kakashi was about to chase him from above when he heard Kenzo's voice again.

"Etsuko."

He quickly pulled out several kunai from beneath his robe and threw them at the ANBU directly in front of him. She spun around and pulled off her cloak, using it to catch the weapons, and then cast it away into the river. She pulled her katana out and took a step towards Kakashi, then disappeared. Kakashi froze, and then immediately rolled to the right, barely missing her blade. As he came back onto his feet, he saw her disappear once again.

Etsuko thrust her sword into Kakashi's back, but instantly felt that something was wrong. She yanked the blade back out and saw the robed figure fall backwards, revealing pieces of dry logs with a scarecrow face drawn on the topmost. She jerked her head a little to the left and saw the real Kakashi almost upon her. She barely had the time to bring her katana up between his blade and her face. Kakashi's strength overruled hers and she tumbled into the ditch. He followed, bringing his katana vertically down on her. She leapt back, and then lunged forward again, their blades clashing with a vibrant ring. For a few moments they fought with their swords alone, struggling to keep their balance and footing firm on the slippery ground. Kakashi eventually got the upper hand and he found a moment of defencelessness between her swift slashes. As she swung her katana diagonally upwards, expecting him to block the strike, Kakashi twisted his body and ducked under it, which left her front wide open. He flipped the sword's hilt in his hand and brought the blunt side of the blade down onto her right shoulder.

If the blow had landed, there would have been enough force to numb her entire right arm for a little while. But Kakashi stopped at the last second and spun around anticlockwise on his right foot, bringing his left arm up to block a slash from someone he hadn't noticed until it had almost been too late. The metal protector along his forearm was the only thing that prevented the katana from slicing through his limb. A soft grunt told him that whoever had come up behind Etsuko had succeeded in striking her. Kakashi, however, was kept too busy with his new opponent to care for her. As soon as she was flung against the opposite wall of the ditch, her attacker swung his leg up at him.

Kakashi ducked under the blow, pulling his arm away from the katana. He didn't have time to assess the situation as the sideward kick suddenly turned down and struck the back of his left leg as he rolled forward. He grimaced as the contact made him lose some of his speed and even as he got his feet under him, the first attacker brought his sword one him. Kakashi spun around and raised his katana to block the slash, and with his left hand, he withdrew a kunai and flung it at the other, who had made a move to lunge at him again. Then he realised that someone was behind him, still on the higher level ground. He swung his right foot at the katana wielder, which was caught, but he didn't stop his spinning momentum. Lifting off the ground completely, he disengaged the contact between their two blades and twisted his body, throwing his left heel at his opponent's head. He used the move as a feint and brought his heel down at a sharp right angle just before impact. His foot connected heavily with his attacker's shoulder, which gave him enough of a secure footing to bring him into the air. Once he was above the trench, he glimpsed the person he had sensed leaping up to meet him. Kakashi didn't bother with him though, as he quickly sheathed the katana and his hands flew through a set of seals. _Katon Chiri Ame no En_.

Kenzo watched from the top of the trees as the wild flurry of angry flames rose around the ditches. Out of all the fire and smoke came Kakashi, followed by two of the specially arranged ANBU he had added into the training, and then two of the candidates. The other five were spread out, dealing with each other and three more experienced ANBU. He glanced down at the small device he had placed on the branch and he flicked several of the switches, which would allow him to connect to all transceivers except one.

"Corner Hatake Kakashi in the swamps," he said. His orders brought an immediate change to the scene. The four who had already been fighting with the youngest ANBU were joined by all the rest, creating a close combat formation in the smallest area of the Arena. The boy was pushed for a few moments, but then things began to change and Kenzo smiled slightly, satisfied. Kakashi began to stand his own in the centre of all the attacks and Kenzo assumed that he had opened his Sharingan eye.

The attempt to try and make it through the training with one eye had cost Kakashi a few wounds. With the Sharingan, however, things were easier to deal with, especially the constant attacks from all sides. But fighting with the ANBU wasn't as simple and straightforward as fighting with other enemies or sparring with Gai and Genma. It was severely difficult to find openings and weaknesses in the elite, and even more difficult to land a blow that wouldn't kill them but render them immobile for the rest of the training. Apparently the others thought along a similar line, as they came at him with renewed forces, using the advantage of numbers to try and get the first candidate down.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

At dusk, Kakashi walked out of the ANBU headquarters in the Jounin outfit, washed and clean from all the grime and splatters of blood he had acquired during the long day. His body and mind were both exhausted and he didn't bother hiding the slight limp that a fairly deep wound to his right lower leg caused him. All injured trainees were responsible to get themselves to the hospitals on their own and during their own times, unless, of course, he or she was incapable to do so. He considered going to get the wounds treated, but he wasn't bothered at the moment, and he had already bound them to stop the bleeding. With a sigh, Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets and adjusted the Hitai-ate over his left eye more comfortably, then walked out into the streets.

The training had continued during the entire day, and it had only been during the afternoon before even one of the candidates went down. Weariness had been the main cause, and the specially added ANBU had been the ones to deliver most of the final blows. Kakashi had been one of the last ones to fall. The leg wound had been one reason, and the other was the sheer toll that the Sharingan took on his body. Although he had only used it to the minimum capability, in the end, his body had simply refused to respond to any of his commands.

To avoid all the lights and people, Kakashi walked the longer way around to his apartment, which took him as far as one of the main Gates. He could have gone over the roofs, but the exhaustion put an immediate stop to such thoughts. As he neared the Gate, though, he heard an angry conversation, which drew his attention.

"Look, just look! I have the stupid pass! Can't you see it? Are you blind? I.have.the.permission.to.enter.this.village! Look at it, you idiot! This is the legitimate pass!"

"Do you realise just how suspicious you sound? It's not the Chuunin Exam, there aren't any special events in the near future, you arrive here at nightfall all alone, and you claim you have the right to come in here!"

"First of all, I'm a Jounin! Second, I'm not here for any special events. Third, I only arrived now because I had a mission to finish beforehand, and fourth, I have the full right to enter the village! I have the god damned frickin' pass for crying out loud!"

"You do realise that because you're from the Hidden Rock Village, it makes you even more suspicious?"

"Look, I'm just here to visit two of my friends!"

"Friends between the Hidden Rock Village and Konoha?"

"Yes!"

"What kind of an idiot would believe _that_?"

"An idiot with an actual brain, unlike you!"

"If you don't be careful, young miss, you're going to get yourself forcefully thrown out of the village!"

"I severely doubt you can do that, and besides, I'm not even _in_ the village yet, oh smart one."

"That does it! Get out of here before I get your disrespectful behind – "

As the guard raised his fisted hand, he abruptly stopped his sentence, feeling firm fingers wrap around his wrists. The girl standing before him also froze in the mid act of shaking her tongue at him. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was and her tongue immediately retreated back into her mouth.

"Kakashi!" she said cheerfully, smiling brightly. The guard snatched his hand out of Kakashi's grip and spun around.

"Are you the one she's come to _'visit'_?" he asked.

"Yes he's one of them!" the girl snapped.

"Be quiet! I didn't ask you, I asked – "

"What are you doing here, Misa?" Kakashi asked, cutting off the guard's angry remark. Misa frowned.

"Have you forgotten our promise?" she asked. "I said I'd come and visit you guys once the war was over. It did take a while to get enough time off, but Obito said you'll both be waiting." Kakashi stiffened. Of course, she didn't know.

"She'll be in my company during her stay in Konoha," he said to the guard instead to responding to Misa. The guard looked shocked and seemed to want to argue, but Kakashi took the pass Misa held and glanced over it. "Anyone with this pass should be able to enter the village freely. You have no reason to stop her."

The guard seemed to struggle keeping any further remarks inside his mouth, but after a moment, he nodded stiffly and turning on his heels, marched away.

"Thank you," Misa said. "He was being such a pain. I would have resorted to violence a long time ago if he had been anyone in the Rock Village." She chuckled. "I'm glad you were in the village. I was beginning to wonder what I would do if you weren't. Is Obito here as well? I – "

"Misa," Kakashi cut in.

"Mm?"

"You'd better come with me," he said quietly. Misa blinked and tilted her head questioningly, but didn't argue. Kakashi forgot his weariness and pains as he led Misa out of the village and towards the training grounds. She attempted a few conversations but he didn't respond to anything, and so she remained quiet and followed him. When they landed in front of the large Memorial, she glanced uncertainly at him.

"Kakashi?" she asked softly.

"This is a Memorial of the Village's heroes who died for the success of missions," he explained. Misa became rigid, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

"You're not telling me…"

Kakashi slowly turned to look at her with his one eye and then knelt in front of the stone, pointing out Obito's name.

"No…" she breathed, falling to both of her knees beside Kakashi. She reached out to the name and she turned her eyes down onto the dark grass. Kakashi rose to his feet and stood silently, keeping his gaze on the trees. Misa remained silent and unmoving for long minutes, and Kakashi didn't disturb her. The clouds had left in the afternoon, and now the stars twinkled peacefully in the sky, offering silver rays of light along with the moon, casting soft shadows on the earth beneath them.

"When?" she finally asked, and her voice was very soft, but surprisingly even.

"A year and a half ago," Kakashi replied.

"Were you with him?"

He nodded. Misa suddenly rose and wrapped her arms around him. He tensed and remained still, but she didn't seem to take any notice. She pressed her face against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know."

"There's no reason for you to apologise," Kakashi said. "There was no way you could have known."

"But you were all alone. You had to bear all the pain."

"I chose to become a shinobi."

Misa pulled away and looked sadly up into his eye. She sighed. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't be," Kakashi responded.

"Let me see your leg," she said suddenly. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Your right leg; it's injured."

"I've stopped the bleeding," he said. "I'll go and have it treated tomorrow."

Misa rolled her eyes with a huff, knelt down and lifted the hem of the trousers before he could do anything. He was about to pull back when Misa brought her hands together and they glowed a light shade of green. She gently placed her right hand over the slightly blood stained bandages and Kakashi felt the pain ease away. After a while, Misa seemed to be satisfied and removed her hand, then took off the bandages to reveal the closed wound. She grinned and got back to her feet.

"I chose to become a medic," she said. "There was no way I would miss you favouring your right leg. Where else are you injured?"

"No where."

"Liar."

Kakashi ignored the last statement and turned around, starting to walk away from the Memorial. "I'll bring you to an inn where you can spend the night," he said. "We can go to Midori's grave in the morning."

He suddenly felt her hand grasp his sleeve and he glanced over his shoulder. She didn't meet his eye though. "Can I stay at your place?" she asked quietly. Kakashi blinked and his eyebrow rose. "I hate inns," she explained. "We were ambushed once in an inn, and we lost Nagi. Going to any inn brings back the memories. I know I'm sounding childish and selfish, but please don't take me to an inn."

There was little Kakashi could do. He continued to stare at her for a few moments before he shrugged and agreed. The sudden change of Misa's behaviour and expression had surprised him and the colour didn't return to her face right away either. She smiled, a little forcefully, and thanked him. He was certain that Obito or Yuki would have screamed at him and thought of lecherous ideas, but no such things occurred in his mind. It wasn't as if he had any regulations restricting females into his apartment; Midori had barged in on him enough times when they had been younger.

Kakashi led the way from the Memorial with Misa following half a step behind him. She had become silent and kept her eyes on the ground. He glanced at her once, and then left her alone for the rest of the short journey. He knew what it felt like to be haunted by memories.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

A tad bit shorter, but oh well…A small reunion…

Translations:  
Fuyukaze no jutsu: winter winds  
Chiri Ame no En: ring of dust rain

Thanks to all who are reading along!  
.LinSetsu.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight: **

In the morning, Kakashi stood outside a local flower shop in his Jounin outfit with his hands tucked into his pockets. He glanced at the sky, quite ready to see a message bird fly overhead indicating a new mission for him. He was surprised that none of them concerned him.

"Kakashi, you coming?" Misa called from just inside the doors. Kakashi turned and nodded, following her inside. He had never come the Yamanaka Flower shop, or any other plant store for that matter, and felt rather awkward, despite the fact that they were alone at the moment. Misa on the other hand seemed to be enjoying herself very much. With a cheerful smile on her face, she looked around at all the colourful flowers and bent down to examine some of them more closely.

Kakashi stood close to the wall and watched her with his one visible eye. By the time they had reached his apartment the night before, she had regained most of her jovial behaviour, which had continued in the morning. She hadn't mentioned Nagi again, and he didn't press the matter either, though he was not certain whether by 'lost Nagi', she meant that he was killed or taken captive. In either case, however, he had no right to question what she didn't want to discuss.

The door to the back of the shop opened and a middle aged woman walked through with a sobbing baby in her arms. "Welcome," she said distractedly to Misa and Kakashi before walking over to the counter and placing the teary baby on it momentarily. "There, there, Ino-chan, ugly Daddy's gone now, don't you worry." She carefully wiped away the tears on the infant's face and then lifted her off the counter and onto the floor. "Now be a good girl while I help the customers." The woman sighed as she straightened and brought her attention to the two. "I'm sorry," she said. "Can I help you?"

Misa smiled and shook the apology away. She brought forward two small bunches of flowers and put them carefully onto the counter. Kakashi didn't move from his position while she paid and played a little with the infant who had come around to her. Finally after a few minutes, they left and Kakashi took Misa through the village towards the graveyards. Since Obito's death, Kakashi hadn't come to Midori's grave as often as they had done in the past. Now he realised that the reason must have been, that walking through the small forest and up the stone stairs and the rows of tomb stones brought back too many memories of Obito. He was slightly surprised to find that the memories did not assault him as fiercely as he had expected. They were there, hovering on the edges of his vision, but they didn't close in on him.

Misa knelt and arranged one set of the flowers in front of Midori's family grave and lit several incense sticks. Then she brought her hands together before her face and closed her eyes, praying. Kakashi stood beside her, staring at the stone. Then he reached out and brushed off a few lone twigs and leaves absently from the stone top.

"Midori-san, thank you," Misa said softly. Her eyes were distant and her hands had dropped onto her knees. "Because of you, I managed to remember things that I had forgotten, and because of your team mates, I could regain what I had lost. I will never forget, and I wish to someday return this favour in one way or another."

Misa rose to her feet and then turned to face Kakashi. He glanced at her and then began to walk away from the grave, down the long rows of stones. Misa followed him quietly until they reached the stone stairs and then began to talk about unimportant, day to day events in her village and her job in the hospital.

"A little boy came in the other day," she was saying when the Memorial came into view, "helping another girl who had tripped and cut her chin open. It wasn't a serious injury, but the boy was almost shouting at me in panic to get her healed." She chuckled. "There are times when I think that children are just a pain, but it makes me so happy to see their unstained innocence."

Misa squatted down and placed the nicely arranged flowers in front of the black stone and smiled gently. Then she brought her hands together once again and closed her eyes in silent prayers. _Obito, I'm sorry about last night. I was too shocked and I couldn't even pray for you. I still can't believe that you're dead. Being dead and being Obito doesn't go well together, you know. I couldn't express my feelings yet again, I guess…_

She slowly opened her eyes and a small sigh escaped her.

"Sorry," Kakashi said, which drew her attention. She tipped her head back and looked at him with a questioning frown. "I would have brought you to his real grave where his ashes lay, but that's in the Uchiha graveyard." He didn't need to say any more. Misa, having grown up in the midst of the war like Kakashi, Obito and Midori, had heard a decent amount of the Uchiha Clan, the strongest in Konoha.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about that," she said. "Besides, you come here as well, don't you?" He nodded and she smiled. "Then Obito probably comes here more often than to his grave."

Kakashi simply shrugged. Misa continued to peer curiously at his face, and when she didn't look away after a few moments, he returned the look, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"I've just been wondering since last night why you wore your hitai-ate like that," she replied. Then a look of slight realisation flickered in her eyes. "You didn't lose the eye did you?"

"I did lose it," he said, bring up a hand to his face. "But I received another." Misa frowned and he pulled the hitai-ate up to show her instead of explain it in words. Her eyes widened when she saw the three tailed, red eye and the horrid scar.

"The Uchiha Sharingan," she muttered, and she stood up to look at it more closely. "How do you have it? The Sharingan can only be activated by one with Uchiha blood. Unless you're…?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I'm a Hatake, not an Uchiha. This is Obito's eye."

"But…" Medical principles and transplantation methods rushed through Misa's mind without much effort. She stood, speechless for a moment while Kakashi lowered the forehead protector over the eye again. "Even if you managed to successfully keep the Sharingan activated through the transplantation, it shouldn't cause such a scar, assuming that the scar is from the operation."

Kakashi broke their eye contact as he looked towards the trees. "The person who transplanted this wasn't a medical ninja," he said.

"Why did you let them do that then? I'm sure Konoha has medics experienced and skilful enough to undertake the transplantation without any damage to the receiver or giver." Misa waited for an answer but Kakashi would say nothing as he continued to stare at the trees, though she could see that he wasn't really looking at any of them. When long moments passed without any change, she finally dropped her eyes to the ground and sighed. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I know this isn't any of my business." She sighed again, but it sounded more like a huff. "Your friend is really too careless, Obito," she said in a lighter tone. Then she snorted and added, "Sorry, I told the wrong person; you're probably worse than he is." From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Kakashi had brought his gaze back to the stone and it wasn't so distant anymore.

"I agree," he said quietly and she smiled without commenting further.

"I need to go," she said after a small pause. "They didn't give me a holiday, after all. On the contrary, I thought my superior's eyes were going to pop out when I said I wanted to take a leave for a few days."

She turned away from the Memorial and walked with Kakashi across the training grounds in silence for a while. It was a nice day, she noticed while they strolled down towards the village. She had never been to Konoha before, and was surprised and delighted at the same time to see the different architecture and overall atmosphere. As they headed down, she paused for a moment to look at the whole village from a slightly higher altitude. Unlike the Hidden Rock Village where the large mountain cast half of the houses in shadows, all of Konoha was bathed in sunlight, radiating a warm feeling. She was also strangely relieved and happy to see the people, not as enemies on the battle field, but as normal citizens of another village. Even from the gate guard the night before, she hadn't felt any potential threat being thrown at her. If she had had the time, she would have wanted to see much more of the village, especially the hospital and the medical centres and also meet some of the people. Some older shinobi in her home village still held grudges, accumulated through the long years of war, against the Leaf ninjas, but Misa felt none of that. Although she hadn't been present at the last battle, Nagi and Kakyou were there and had told her about what the Hokage had said. _The past cannot be forgotten, but the future can be changed._ Misa felt it was right to believe in those words.

Caught up in her thoughts, Misa had hardly noticed that the Gate had come into view. She quickened her pace for a few strides and turned in front of Kakashi, though she continued to walk backwards.

"Ne, Kakashi, can I come back again to visit?" she asked, but even as she said this, she felt an unknown weight drop into her stomach. _What if I come back and you're no longer here?_ Her thoughts must have appeared in her face, since Kakashi's eye momentarily dropped to the ground before coming up to meet hers again.

He nodded. "Even if I'm – "

"No," she cut him off quickly. "I'll come back to visit you. Promise me…promise me that you won't…"

"I can't promise you that," Kakashi said in a low voice.

Misa stopped when she passed under the Gate and looked away, trying to push away the disturbing feeling she still felt in her stomach. She knew, and she understood that he couldn't promise her to stay alive until she came back again, and that was what pained her. Her left hand reached over her stomach and grasped the sleeve of her right arm tightly. Then she drew a slightly shaky breath and raised her eyes.

"Still, I'll come back and visit you," she said. Kakashi seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he nodded again, and Misa managed a small, slightly relieved smile. "And if you ever need something, send me a letter or a message and I'll come as quickly as physically possible. I owe you so much; I can sacrifice so many things if it would help you. I just want you to know that." Kakashi made no reply and Misa simply chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll be off then," she said. "Do keep in touch though. You can at least promise me _that_, can't you?"

Kakashi, whether it be for good or bad, was not given the time to reply to her. They both felt the presence of a number of people rushing towards them and they looked up. There were two ANBU and one other shinobi. As they leapt over the Gate, the ANBU in the front looked down at them.

"Hatake! Come!" he shouted, and Kakashi immediately recognised it to be none other than Yuki. "Emergency mission!"

Kakashi faced Misa for a second, meeting her eyes, then he ran past her. "Sorry," he muttered before he leapt up into the trees. But as he joined Yuki and the group, he heard her shout his name and he glanced back over his shoulder.

"Kakashi! Remember that a bottle has an entrance and an exit!"

They swerved sharply to the left and Misa disappeared behind the forest trees, which left Kakashi to blink and think about what she had said. It hardly made any sense and it didn't seem to be anything important, so he gave it a mental shrug.

"She your girlfriend?" Yuki asked, though he never dropped the fast pace. Banto, who was wearing casual trousers and a plain shirt made a strange noise that might have been a laugh smothered into a cough. The other ANBU turned out to be Ryo, who shook his head at Yuki's inquiry.

"No," Kakashi said, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "She's an acquaintance from Iwagakure."

"Iwagakure?" Ryo repeated, turning his head to look back at him through his mask.

"You see Ryo, our little Hatake has become a fully bloomed seducer around all the Countries," Yuki said with satisfactory nods of his head. Banto whistled enthusiastically and Kakashi threw both of them a rather nasty look.

"Rather than comment on such stupid topics, would you care to tell me about this emergency mission?" Kakashi managed to say through tight jaws. Both Yuki and Banto immediately sobered and became serious.

"We received an SOS message from the spy in the Hidden Cloud Village," Yuki explained. "Ryo and I happened to be at the Headquarters when it arrived, really just five minutes ago. There was a desperate urgency to it that didn't allow us to plan this out and arrange for a special squad to go and help the spy. Kouyama-san ordered us to get whoever we could and head straight for Kumogakure."

Kouyama Shuuji was currently the head of the ANBU, and Kakashi knew that an order from him was an absolute. There would be no room for negotiation, disagreement or even hesitation. To climb to the seat of ANBU Head was just as good as saying that he was the second strongest shinobi in Konoha.

"I see," Kakashi muttered. "But there is a price for picking at random, Yuki-san; I have none of my gear with me, save a few shuriken and two kunai."

Banto snorted. "Hey, at least you have that. I have absolutely nothing; Captain hammered me out of my _bed_."

"Well your house was conveniently right in the way of our route towards the Gate," Yuki reasoned innocently.

"I knew I shouldn't have picked that place," Banto grumbled.

"You should be grateful," Ryo said. "You were being listed for a daimyo escort mission."

Banto grimaced, contorting his whole face and mouthed, "Thank the lord."

Yuki grinned and threw them both an ANBU mask. Kakashi caught it and raised a curious eye brow when he realised that it was his canine mask. He heard Banto groan softly, which told him that the other held his own mask as well and was thinking along the same lines: Yuki had already chosen who to bring with him when he had left the Headquarters.

"And how do you intend to help the spy?" Kakashi asked while he pulled off the hitai-ate, placing it in his back pouch, and slipped on the mask, keeping the Sharingan eye closed.

"It depends on the situation," Yuki replied. "In most circumstances our priority will be to bring him back to Konoha. But if he's been tortured and interrogated already, that would result in us taking other actions."

None of them were as inexperienced as to ask for clarification on the term 'other actions'. There were very few shinobi, even those well trained, to resist any long term torture and interrogation. Sooner or later they would break and spill whatever information they have. If such was the case with the spy, they would have no choice but to kill him along with those suspected of knowing any secrets. There was a problem to this, however, since it was not only one of the Hidden Villages, but one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Sending spies was not uncommon anymore, and Kakashi was sure that the Cloud had sent one into both Konoha and the Sand. Rather, if a group of shinobi was killed by the ANBU, Kumogakure would certainly not stay quiet.

One bad turn of events during the mission could rekindle the Shinobi War.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

I know, a tad bit short, but it was a decent place to cut it off. School starts in two days, so I'm not sure how frequent the updates will be from now on, but please keep looking.

Thank you all!  
.LinSetsu.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine:**

They arrived during the late afternoon to Kumogakure and Yuki quickly decided to spend the rest of the day and half of the night under cover just outside the Village. It was located deep in the centre of many tall but round and grassy mountains. There they found numerous caves, either naturally or man made, and hid in one of the smaller, more hidden ones.

Ryo sealed the narrow entrance with a genjutsu and then went to join the other three on the floor. Banto was already sprawled on the ground, lying on his back, and Kakashi sat, leaning against the wall. They were both slightly out of breath from the long run with very few rests, and were still breathing rapidly. Yuki sat with his legs crossed on the other side of the oval cave, a few beads of sweat clinging to his face but showing no other sign of weariness. His mask lay on the floor along with the small backpack that he had brought along.

"I'm constantly amazed by your inhumane endurance, Captain," Banto sighed.

Yuki laughed. "You see, there's always a good side affect when you're bullied and chased all around the village when you're a kid."

"And to think that such a kid grew to have such a unique personality," Banto said with a small shake of his head in wonder.

"What, is that a compliment or an insult?" Yuki asked.

"Just to make sure that I can continue being in this squad, I'll say it's a compliment."

"Why thank you." Yuki grinned briefly, and then pulled the bag towards him before he continued in a more serious tone. "As I knew I'd be bringing unprepared colleagues, I took the liberty to grab a few items before leaving Headquarters." He pulled out four black ANBU robes, tossing them one each and also two katana. "These aren't your own, but they'll have to do. Try not to break them." He gave Kakashi a pointed look, which was pushed aside by a subtle roll of the eye. He sighed, and then took out a pouch and holster. Yuki gave the holster to Banto and distributed the kunai and shuriken in the pouch to him and Kakashi.

"At least now I won't be killed in the first two minutes," Banto said, strapping the holster around his thigh.

"Considering how fast you can run away from anyone, I severely doubt you would have been killed the first two minutes without the weapons anyways," Ryo muttered dryly.

"Well, seeing as we've come to this matter, I'll go over the debriefing," Yuki said. "Banto, you'll cause the first distraction outside the building, and then continue to draw the attention of as many shinobi as you can until we come out. You should be able to run around freely without the confines of walls, which will be your advantage with your fast speed capability. Keep them busy with a hide and seek game. Hatake, we'll use your all-round skills inside the building. It'll be a tighter job than staying outside, and you'll have to be careful not to get lost or cornered. The Sharingan will be of some help. Ryo, you'll back me for the duration of the infiltration. We'll get inside using Banto's flamboyant greeting, and when Hatake causes a distraction inside, we'll go and get the spy.

"If that were all, this mission would go extremely smoothly." Yuki sighed and bit his lower lip. "You all understand the situation here and the consequences if anything goes wrong. To put is simply, no using any technique that will allow the Clouds to assume that we are from Konoha. I know it's difficult, but it's going to be necessary. Banto, you'll probably have to deal with the most shinobi. If things get risky, run. This cave will be our meeting point. Hatake, the same goes with you, so remember where the escape routes are. Listen, under no circumstances are you to get caught or killed; that would make everything fall apart. We just need the first distractions to get inside. After that, if you're in doubt, run. If you can't predict how things will turn out, run. If you're injured, run. I hope I make myself clear."

They nodded.

"Good. Oh and, I'll let you two know when we've got the spy and are almost out of the building."

"Oh please don't say you're going to send a duck firework display into the air," Banto groaned.

"Great idea, but hey, I have to be creative from time to time," Yuki replied with a mischievous smirk.

"Yuki-san, are you informed of where the spy is being held?" Kakashi asked.

"The prison."

"Do you know where that is?"

There was a slight pause before Yuki replied again. "Yeah. It's dug into one of the hills close to the village. Not very fun to think about, but I was under their 'care' during the War."

"What?" Banto mumbled with a deep frown. "You mean you were captured?" Yuki nodded, a little too casually. "When? I've never heard anything about it."

The Uchiha shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. I was only there for around two days. It was back when I was still a Jounin. We were on our way back from a mission when we got tangled in a brief battle and they got me." A strange light wavered in his eyes for a brief moment, but it was gone the moment he blinked. He looked up from the floor and cast a meaningful sidelong glance at Kakashi. "Sakumo-san, came back to rescue me."

"I had no idea," Banto breathed. Kakashi hadn't known either. He dismissed the last comment about his father, since he was sure it was just another nudge that Yuki gave to make him like Sakumo again. One glance at Ryo told Kakashi that he, at least, knew about this part of Yuki's past.

"In any case, don't get caught. We'll rest here until roughly midnight. Then we'll move," Yuki said. Kakashi was still thinking. He just realised that although he had known Yuki for a while now, he hardly knew anything about the man. He knew the bright and cheerful personality, the responsible leader during missions, the clumsy and indirect way of caring, and of course, the irreparable sense of stupid humour. He had thought that that was all Uchiha Yuki was, but when he had seen the unfamiliar look in the eyes, he noticed that it was merely a small part of him.

"By the way, Hatake, I was thinking," Yuki suddenly said after several moments of silence. Kakashi met his eyes. "Your girlfriend we saw the other day; she's quite cute. You have good taste." Yuki grinned widely. Kakashi rolled his eyes and then closed them. Upon second thought, he decided that Uchiha Yuki was an _impossible_ case altogether.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The explosion rocked the side of the large hill and sent tremors along the ground, which reached the Village in several seconds. Debris flew up into the air, reducing the visibility to only a few metres. Shinobi of duty rushed to see what was going on, only to be faced with a gaping hole where the sturdy entrance gates of the Kumogakure Prison should have been. The chaos was illuminated by angry flames that had been caused by the eruption, licking the walls and ceiling, which were already beginning to crumble as the supports wavered.

"Find the intruder! Alert the Village!"

"Put the fire out before they reach the prisoners!

"Let none through!"

Shouts filled the air and Banto grinned under his mask. As he sprinted through the smoke, he raised a kunai with an explosive talisman hanging on it, and flung it at the base of the hill. Without waiting another second, he leapt away and ducked behind a large rock to escape the shockwave of the detonation. The deafening explosion and hot air rushed overhead and to the sides. Once they subsided, Banto peered over his cover and viewed his work with satisfaction. Sometimes, he became too frustrated with so much stealth and secrecy that the ANBU demanded in all their work. He needed to do something loud and 'big' once in a while.

"Who's there?"

Banto turned to find two young shinobi facing him with their weapons already drawn. When they saw him, the one on the left took an unconscious step backwards.

"Who are you?" the other one asked, the slight shake of his voice betraying his uncertainty. "Name yourself and the Village you come from!"

Just before they had left the cave, Yuki had taken each of their masks and froze it over so fiercely that none of the patterns could be seen. Now, Banto thought that it had been a good idea. One, it would reveal their identities if any of the enemy recognised it as the ANBU mask, and two, it served to intimidate the opponents a little. After all, it wasn't often that a shinobi's wore mask made of bristling ice along with a dark, hooded robe. And it was Yuki's ice; he severely doubted that it would melt just by coming close to fire.

Another burst of fire flared into the night sky just then, quite close to where he and his two enemies were standing. It caught their attention and he used the distraction to bring his hands together and mould chakra. By the time they focused on him again, they were well under the influence of a genjutsu. They immediately stiffened and as he left them, he heard their horrified screams. It was easy to frighten inexperienced ninjas, and their voices would draw the attention of others. He hoped that by now, the others were making their way inside.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Make sure the prisoners don't try anything! There may be more than one intruder! Stay on your guard! Close of the entrance and support the walls!" The shinobi barked out orders, one after another and redirected all the ninjas that came to him. It was quite clear that he was in charge. Just then, a new group of shinobi rushed inside, leaping between the fire and crumbling wall, and gathered around their superior.

"The intruder was seen outside!" one of them reported. "The shinobi who are outside are working together to capture him. He was apparently wearing dark robes and a mask of ice."

"And you came here just to tell me that?" the shinobi shouted angrily, and the four subordinates recoiled. "Get yourselves organised! If you're capable of using Earth techniques, help keep this place from collapsing! If not, then get yourself back outside and capture the infiltrator!" The ninjas stuttered quick replies and leapt away immediately, leaving the leader alone for a few seconds. He snarled, "This is exactly what the enemy wants!"

"There's the intruder!"

The shinobi spun around and caught a glimpse of a robed figure disappear down one of the corridors leading to the prison cells. Two of the Cloud ninjas, one who must have shouted, were hot of his heels and sprinted after him into the darkness. He felt, more than saw that most of the activity around him had suddenly stopped. One sweep of his eyes confirmed his suspicions and he suppressed the great urge to simply allow his rage to explode.

"Fools! Don't look at me! Get him!"

After a moment of scrambling and confusion, several groups of shinobi peeled away from their tasks and ran into the corridors while the others doubled their effort to put out the fire and keep the ceiling from caving in.

Kakashi didn't need to glance over his shoulder to know that he had the full attention of at least a dozen pursuers, though only two were close enough to see him. When Banto had set off the first explosion and the panic began, he had slipped into the crowds of Cloud ninjas using a Henge. When he saw that the time was ripe, he had taken off the disguise and purposefully caught the attention of the enemy. Based on the rough sketches of the Prison layout that Yuki had put together from memory, he knew that there were more than just two or three hallways leading towards the cells and dungeons. Although neither he nor Banto were told of Yuki's plan for his own actions, he was sure that the Uchiha would take the opportunity he had made to get closer to the cells without being suspected.

The narrow corridor came to a sudden end and it opened out into an oval shaped and deep cave. The ceiling was high and below was almost too dark to make anything out. There were platforms along the sides, wide enough for at least four grown men to walk side by side. Encircling the oval hole were countless prisons, some empty and others filled. From one glance, it seemed to be that the floors below were designed likewise.

Kakashi paused for a brief second, and then immediately leapt to the left as a blast of wind rushed at him from behind. The impact it had with the metal rails caused the prisoners to stir and peer curiously through the bars. Kakashi opened his left eye as he sprinted along the left hand side platform. At the far end of the rows of cells, he found an open doorway, and beyond that, the presence of people. He could go there and using a pathway to the bottom of the prison, he could double back and escape outside. But first…

He brought himself to an abrupt halt and he turned around, drawing the katana from beneath the robe. The first ninja reacted too slowly to attack, and attempted to jump high enough to get behind Kakashi, but the ANBU effectively amputated his right leg just above the knee. The second had enough time to fling several kunai, which Kakashi batted away with subtle flicks of the blades. Then he was within Taijutsu range of his opponents and a few of them came in from the sides. He ducked a roundhouse kick and then pivoted sharply on his left foot as a kunai flew by. He brought the katana into a sweeping vertical arc, and his opponent jerked up a kunai to intercept it. Just as they were going to clash, Kakashi tipped his wrist to the side and the sharp blade ran cleanly through both eyes of the unsuspecting shinobi standing next to the original target.

Ignoring the agonised scream, Kakashi took two jumps backwards, creating enough time to safely pull out two small balls from his pouch. Then once again, he ran forward, meeting the enemy. Unlike before, however, when he had let the foes move first, he emitted a decent amount of chakra from his feet and made it passed the front four ninjas before they noticed he had moved. Three of them died on the spot, and the forth suffered from a punctured lung. The others closed in, quickly taking the opportunity to surround him, but Kakashi threw the small balls onto the floor and they instantly shattered, shooting out thick smoke that stung eyes and irritated the nose and mouth.

Still, they were all trained shinobi, and it took more than smoke bombs to distract them well enough to get away. While still holding the katana, he brought his hands together. _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_. The multiple replicas moved through the dark grey smoke, creating shadows to attract the attention of the enemy. It worked, and the whole group became tangled in confusion. Kakashi and his clones wrecked as much havoc as he could on his way out of the smoke, and once he was clear, he released the kage bunshins.

If Yuki and Ryo hadn't taken that chance to sneak away, he would kill them.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Luckily for them, they would never experience Kakashi's wrath. Yuki and Ryo both hid in the shadows, several floors down from where the commotion was taking place. Performing a quick henge, they disguised themselves to be Cloud guards and then waited for a few moments while the enemy recovered and went to chase Kakashi. With Ryo taking one side of the oval and Yuki the other, they sprinted along the balcony, seeking the Konoha spy, whose face they had seen on a picture in the ANBU Headquarters. When they met at the far end of the platform, they both shook their heads. Yuki nodded upwards and they both moved with blurring speed, leaping onto the floor above and then pressing themselves into the shadows to above being seen by anyone who was still above.

By the time they had checked that floor as well, all presences seemed to have followed Kakashi to the deeper area of the Prison, so they ascended another level. This one they checked a little quicker, in case anyone appeared. The walls trembled and Yuki could imagine just how much Banto was enjoying himself. The man had always preferred just making trouble and not having to kill so many people.

Someone moaned and Yuki froze. He looked down and noticed that this was where Kakashi had stopped and fought for a little while. The one with the missing leg was unconscious from the blood loss, and the one who had Kakashi's blade through his chest was well on his way to dying. The last living shinobi had blood running down his whole face, which was contorted into agony. He moaned again, more desperately.

"Help…help me…" he begged. Yuki stared down at him with hard eyes, his teeth clenched in a second of indecision. He noticed that Ryo was already finished with his side and was impatiently checking Yuki's unsearched cells. The Uchiha drew out a kunai and passed the sharp blade through the shinobi's throat, killing him instantly. Then he stooped down next to the other two fallen ninjas and took their lives as well. Better to silence them than risk anything.

Ryo came up beside him and with one shake of his head, they vaulted over the railing and dropped three floors, and then began their search again. As they descended and found only strangers within the cells, Yuki began to think carefully. They were already well below ground level and considering how many floors they had already checked, he doubted that there were many more to go. Granted, Kumogakure had always been rumoured to have the largest (and most dangerous) Prison, but he was still surprised at the enormity of it – even after he had been there before. If they didn't find him in the prison cells, he would be under interrogation. Those rooms were in the area where Kakashi had run off to before. That would be complicated.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Banto had gotten over most of his excitement and he focused more of attracting and losing the enemy. The more attention he drew here, the less the other three would have to deal with inside. Not that he had to worry too much about that. It seemed that there hadn't been a lot of shinobi in the Prison when they had attacked, so many were coming from the village now to offer their help. He observed that only a handful went inside, and the rest were ordered to catch the intruder. Intruder_s_, actually, whether they were aware of his other team mates or not. He had dispatched several clones, which were spread out and offering vibrant and noticeable displays.

It wasn't difficult to hide and pop up amongst so many enemies, especially when you didn't have anything really to accomplish, except to draw attention. Banto glanced over his shoulder at the three shinobi behind him and looked up just in time to throw himself to the left and avoid two more ninjas and their swords. He had yet to draw his own katana. He began to get up from his roll, but then flattened himself on the ground as shuriken whistled mere centimetres above his head. He rolled onto his back and the first thing he saw was a shining sword coming down on him in a vertical swing. It was good that he had unnaturally quick reflexes, even amongst shinobi standards. He immediately rocked backwards, bringing both his feet into the air and caught the blade firmly between the soles of his boots. He grabbed his attacker's wrists and using the momentum and slight forward imbalance the enemy had created already with the swing, Banto threw him overhead, pulling himself up at the same time.

As soon as he was on his feet, he leapt away from the attacking ninjas that had gathered, and ran away, heading back towards the main entrance that he had first destroyed. As he ran though, another group moved to surround him. Banto took out the last explosive talisman and wrapped it deftly around the handle of a kunai. Just as he was about to clash with the ninjas ahead of him, he flung the weapon towards the hill and made a screeching right angle turn, throwing himself onto the ground. The talisman detonated, and being on the floor, he escaped physical damage, but he felt the hot air sweep over him and debris rained down around him.

He quickly picked himself up and continued on his way towards the main entrance. He was almost there and prepared to perform a henge to blend in with the enemy to assess the situation. His hands came together and a long sword pierced through his heart. Blood spurted out through the breathing holes in the mask and he staggered two steps before his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the ground. The tall shinobi who stood above the body was wearing a sleeveless shirt above a hakama, both of them black. His long hair was unbound, washing over his back, and over his face, he wore a plain white mask. He stepped away from the body, pulling the sword back as well. Not a second later, the corpse turned into thousands of grass blades that were blown easily away by the wind of the fire.

Banto narrowed his eyes as he watched the shinobi from a little distance, having successfully become a member of an enemy team. He recognised the mask and clothing immediately. They were the equivalent of Konoha ANBU; the group consisting only the most elite of shinobi of Kumogakure. They were dangerous. He knew from experience during the war. If he had been only an eyes blink later in detecting the almost non-existing presence of the shinobi, he would have really been dead.

The bigger problem was that there were more of them. He counted six with one brief glance around him. And then he realised that four of them were starting to head inside the Prison. If they went in and clashed with Yuki and the others, it would be disastrous. Chuunin and Jounin they could still deal with. But none of them could win against the Elite Clouds while restricting their skills.

Banto made a small noise of annoyance. "How troublesome," he muttered under his breath as he released his henge. His hands went through a quick set of seals as he summoned a fairly large amount of chakra. _Ninpo Honou no Nami_. Half the flames peeled away from the mountainside and reared high into the night sky. It hovered there for a moment like a large wave on the verge of curling in but still riding high on the water. Then like a true tidal wave, the wall of fire crashed down, engulfing anything and everything that lay in its path, scorching unprepared and defenceless shinobi instantly. All six Elites leapt out of harms way and turned their eyes on him. Banto grinned grimly. _That's right. Stay out here and play for a while and let Captain finish the job in there._

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Translations:  
Honou no Nami: Wave of Flames

It took a while. I'm sorry. I was more than busy…still am, but hey, who cares? Lol. Sunday night, 22:00 and still have a pile of homework to do. Great, huh? (groans) But I don't regret finishing up this chapter!

.LinSetsu.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten:**

The Cloud shinobi ground his teeth in irritation as the wall trembled again from some sort of impact on the floors above. He turned away the bound prisoner at his feet who was under an illusion and rounded on the two others present in the small interrogation room.

"What is going on?" he demanded.

"There seems to be some sort of battle," one of them replied.

"I know that," the shinobi snapped. "Go and find out what all the commotion is about." The subordinate nodded quickly and briskly left the room.

"Yuon-san, shall we change?" the other ninja inquired. Yuon sighed wearily, pulling a hand through his short, brown hair and tugging it impatiently. He licked his dry lower lip and then raked his teeth over it, but shook his head.

"No," he said, a little more calmly. "We haven't been able to draw anything out of him by using standard procedures. And it's essential that we get him to spit everything out soon. It's going to be harsh, but I'm going to use a few tricks of my own."

"Do you think his mind will survive?"

Yuon knelt in front of the hunched shinobi and taking a fistful of his hair, pulled up his head to peer into his face. The eyes were half lidded and distant, seeing a completely different world where there was only pain and horror. Beads of sweat clung to his skin and rolled down his face while his teeth were clenched tightly together. The prisoner shuddered and drew in a wavering breath.

"Take a look at this," Yuon said softly. "He's fighting the illusion I placed him under. Not many have the strength to do that. No, even if I use my method, he won't die. He'll only break, and that's exactly what we need." He let go of the spy and brought his hands together in a set of complex seals. He was about to activate the new level of genjutsu when the door flew off its hinges and barely missed hitting the other shinobi. Yuon leapt to his feet and jerked around.

"Yuon-san!" It was the shinobi he had just sent out. He stood just outside the door in a combat stance with a kunai held defensively in front of him. The left side of his face, which was facing them was covered in blood from a wound on his temple. "We're being attacked by unknown ninjas! They've already infiltrated this far!" Even as he said this, he flung the kunai and his hands flicked through several seals.

"Idiot!" Yuon snarled, running towards the door. "If you fight in this small space – " He was too late and as electricity flared in the corridor outside, he flung up his arms to shield his eyes.

Inside, the prisoner stirred as the illusion's grip loosened with Yuon being distracted. His bleary eyes came into some focus and he stared at the ruckus that his numb mind couldn't quite figure out properly. There was bright light shimmering beyond Yuon and the other guard had his attention focused outside as well. He squinted his eyes to try and get a better view.

Kakashi was finding it increasingly difficult to fight in such tight spaces. The only good thing was that while he could still move relatively freely, the others behind him were crammed together. At the moment though, they were still using the last corner as a shield. He was more concerned about the shinobi that had escaped him just a few moments ago, when he had suddenly appeared. Kakashi turned the next corner and found the escapee. Although he seemed to be trying to get away, Kakashi knew that risks weren't a good thing. Yet he had to smother the impulse of using the Shunshin and silently slitting his throat from behind. He was a distraction for Yuki and Ryo, so he had to cause as much chaos as possible.

He stuck an explosive talisman onto a kunai and threw it just as his target was about to enter a door. He found the other's action quite peculiar, but he didn't have time to consider all his conducts. He threw himself onto the ground as the explosive went off, blackening the wall and, by the sound of things, blasting a door. Kakashi quickly got to his feet and saw his enemy mostly uninjured, talking, it seemed, to someone inside the room. A second later, he ducked under a poorly thrown kunai, and then froze as lightning flashed and the electricity snaked out towards him. He took an instinctive step back, to dive behind the corner, but he felt the presences from his pursuers closing in. They had trapped him.

Kakashi almost cursed out loud but he knew that hesitating would ensure instant defeat. A tingle ran along the back of his neck as he felt a similar energy lashing out from behind him from the other ninjas. His left eye snapped open and he allow his chakra to course through his body as he leapt forward, right into the onslaught of electricity. His hands flew from seal to seal, as he flickered from one side of the corridor to the other, always moving, always dodging, and always making his way forward. His heightened senses, causes by the freely flowing chakra, and the Sharingan told him where each bolt of lighting was, and where there would be an eye's blink of safe space. He didn't think or doubt, but relied solely on his instincts. Watching Kazuma all those years ago had taught him that the Shunshin no jutsu could be used without a full hand seal. But that wouldn't possible without proper training, which he hadn't done. Yet by repeating the seals over and over again, he found that he could move rapidly in very short time intervals, which would then in turn allow him to run through the streams electricity without being harmed. Theoretically.

Very often, things didn't go according to theory. Kakashi gritted his teeth as a stray spark of lightning struck his left shoulder. Pain flashed through his body and his left arm became instantly numb. He was hurled into the wall from the speed he had been using and all his defences fell momentarily. Even without the Sharingan, he could tell that all the electricity was streaking towards him as one. He had no doubt that it would be destructive enough to knock him out for several hours straight. But with one of his arms useless and his whole body tingling, he would never get out unharmed. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth tighter.

A single heartbeat echoed throughout his body.

Yuon's subordinate froze, his eyes growing wide and his hands dropping to his sides. He had been sure that they had gotten him. Their attacks had been less than a metre away from him. It was impossible that anyone could have escaped that situation. And yet…The subordinate looked down at the blade of the sword that was pierced through his chest, and then at the robed figure and the eerie mask of ice. With a gurgled gasp, the shinobi collapsed.

Kakashi didn't bother pulling the katana out; it was broken anyways, shattered roughly twenty centimetres from the hilt from the chakra that he had unconsciously poured into the fragile sword. His left arm had feeling again as well, which he hadn't noticed. But he had more important things to consider. He didn't know how he had avoided the electricity. He had just felt a surge of chakra that he couldn't control. He had never felt such a way before. It was as if his body was moving on its own and he was just watching from a third person's viewpoint. Strangely, he didn't feel overwhelmed. He just watched passively.

His hands flicked through a set of seals and the chakra poured out of him effortlessly. _Fukashikousen no jutsu_. Silent and invisible, the rays of concentrated chakra aided air particles penetrated the front two lines of the shinobi and lightly wounded the third. Kakashi's mind returned suddenly to his body and he glanced down at his hand. What had that been? He couldn't adjust or moderate the strength of his attack. He hadn't even used the Fukashikousen to such an extent up until now.

Kakashi snapped out of his musings. He spun around and continued to run on while the enemy recuperated. Another, older looking shinobi came to the doorframe of the room to his right just as he ran passed it. Kakashi turned briefly to look inside, and instead of engaging the shinobi, his eyes locked with the half focused gaze of the prisoner at the far end of the room. Then there was only the wall, and he concentrated on his route.

Judging from his rough calculations, he was almost at the bottom of the cavern. The area beyond the prison cells had been nothing but chambers and offices, connected by a narrow, low ceiling corridor that was in no way a good fighting location. And there seemed to be a large handful of shinobi, probably interrogation specialists, in the rooms. The only good thing was that they would at least be focused on him rather than Yuki and Ryo. Abruptly, he came to the end of the hallway and he leapt down the stone stairs.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yuki bit his lip and sighed quietly.

"He's not in any of the cells," he mumbled quietly to himself for no apparent reason. They had checked all the floors quite thoroughly, but the spy was no where to be seen. He looked around himself at the last floor, which was almost completely dark. Ryo came up beside him.

"Should we search the chambers?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"Seems like the only choice," Yuki replied. "But there are risks…"

"You must be the Konoha ANBU."

Both of them spun around to the source of the voice and looked at the only prisoner on that last level. He looked to be in his late twenties, his blond hair ragged and dirty, hanging around his haggard face. He sat with his back leaning against the wall, one knee propped up while the other was stretched out. He was looking at them with his head rolled lazily to the side.

"Why do you say that?" Yuki asked warily. Their henge was still in place.

The prisoner smirked crookedly. "I noticed you searching the cells above, but none of the guards ever do that. Ryuichi was expecting you."

"Who are you?" Ryo inquired. Ryuichi was the name of the spy they were looking for.

"Just a Cloud traitor," he answered in a tired voice.

"And how do you know about Ryuichi?"

"You ask strange things. Ryuichi and I were the only ones down here, so we had plenty of time to talk. They seem to have forgotten that I was even still alive, so they threw him right into the cell next to mine. I went against Kumogakure during the height of the War, so they put me in here to be 'dealt with later', but I guess one thing after the other drove me out of their heads. I have no intention of going back to those barbarians anymore, so I don't consider myself a Cloud ninja. Just a Missing nin, who's not really missing at all." He chuckled at his own jest.

Yuki walked towards the bars of his prison and knelt down. "How much do you know?"

"Just that Ryuichi was a Konoha spy for a few years before he got caught, and that he had sent an SOS message to you guys. Apparently, he had important things to tell your authorities, but he didn't tell me what they were. He also left me a small message to give to you if you were to come when he was under interrogation. 'They have a habit of taking me to room 6-78f.'" He shrugged nonchalantly.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Yuki asked.

"Good question. I'm afraid you can't. I don't have anything on me, and Ryuichi didn't give me anything. Well, _he_ seemed to have trusted me at least." The prisoner took on a thoughtful look as he gazed intently at the rough ceiling on his cell. "I know. Why don't you take me with you? I can show you to 6-78f and if I lead you into a trap, you can kill me right away. I'm only a Chuunin, believe it or not. Then when all goes well, I can get the hell out of this place and live as freely as I like. What about it, Mr. ANBU?"

Yuki considered this. Almost immediately, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Ryo give a slight shake of his head with a frown. Ryo was always the cautious one. He didn't blame him though. Such a deal was always difficult to believe, and they had every reason not to trust the prisoner. But Yuki wanted to end this mission as quickly as possible, and finding Ryuichi was high on his priority list. They didn't have the leisure of checking all the rooms.

"Deal," Yuki said at last. Ryo's frown deepened, but he said nothing. The squad leader was Yuki, and his decisions were definite.

The prisoner grinned widely, and Yuki noted that it was a sincere expression. His eyes shined with renewed hope as he pushed away from the wall and straightened on his knees. "If you take off those talismans, it won't be harmful to touch the bars."

Yuki carefully peeled them off and handed the three to Ryo. Then he brought his thumb to his mouth and bit into his skin. _Kuchiyose no jutsu_. Out of a small puff of yellow smoke came a little, thin duck with a long, pointed beak. "Pick the lock, Tama," he said. The beige bird pecked his hand affectionately and then stuck its beak into the keyhole, shifting and twisting its head until they heard a soft click. The duck gave a cheerful quack. "Thank you. You're free to go now." Another puff and it was gone.

"Why didn't you just break open the bars?" the prisoner asked as Yuki opened the cell door and he stepped out.

"It'll take them longer to figure out that someone broke out," Yuki replied, pushing the door closed again, and then he straightened and faced the shinobi. "It'll give you more time to get as far away as possible from here."

He stared at Yuki for a moment, blinking several times before another broad grin split his face. "You're a good person."

"We haven't trusted you yet," Ryo warned.

"Yes, yes, I know. You can trust me whenever you see fit, even if that's never, but let's get moving first. It won't take them long to get down here." With subtle nods, Yuki and Ryo followed their guide towards the other section of the prison. "By the way, I'm Hajime; Kiritani Hajime."

"Nice to meet you," was all Yuki said. Hajime smiled briefly over his shoulder and then looked back at the archway that was getting closer. This one, like all the other ones above led into a dark, narrow hallway. They cautiously entered and made their way swiftly through the tunnel, eager not to get ambushed in the middle of such small space. Suddenly both Yuki and Ryo stiffened, and the former reached out to grip Hajime's shoulder.

"Disguise yourself as a guard," he said quickly and in a tone barely louder than a murmur. "We're on our way to trap the infiltrator from below." When he noticed that Hajime hesitated, he hissed, "Quick. People are coming!" He did as he was told, and then they made forward again at a run. Just as Yuki had said, they soon caught the sound of many soft footsteps approaching at a high speed. They were nearing the end of the corridor when a single, robed figure came into sight with a dozen shinobi hot on his heels. Yuki almost groaned. He could have tried to identify the presences.

Kakashi bit down on a curse when he saw three Clouds up ahead, but then glimpsed a round, golden earring on the left ear of one of them, and there was a tiny glimmer of red in the center. _Yuki-san?_ It made sense, time-wise, that they would already be finished checking the cells while he had constantly engaged and run away from the enemy. And if they hadn't found the spy in any of the prisons, it would be logical to search the interrogation rooms. This time, he really did swear under his breath. Seeing as they were disguised as Clouds, they would have to attack him seriously enough to fool the enemy. He didn't even know who the third member was.

_Act quickly Hatake, act quickly_ Yuki chanted inside his head as he brought up his hands and formed several seals. Hajime tried to follow suit and was bringing his hands together when Ryo slapped his arm as discretely as he could manage, making it seem as if he had hit him accidentally while reaching down for a kunai. He raised several of them and threw the weapons at once. Kakashi didn't drop his pace and as the kunai streaked towards him, he threw himself onto the ground, rolling over his arm and leaping back up as soon as his feet touched the ground again.

Yuki watched carefully as Kakashi formed the standard illusion seals even as he rolled under the kunai. The enemy was momentarily preoccupied by the dodged weapons that had hit several of their members. Yuki froze in the middle of one of the last seals he had been making and gasped.

"Gen…jutsu," he breathed with wide, disbelieving eyes. His long years partnering with Ryo got his message across instantly, and his friend immediately put up a similar act. Hajime didn't miss it either. _Well done_, he thought as he staggered and let out an agonised scream. Kakashi leapt passed them and entered the tunnel that they had just left without a second glance. Yuki, Ryo and Hajime collapsed onto the floor and continued to act that they were under the influence of an illusion while all the ninjas ran passed them. It didn't take long, and just as they had hoped, they left the three untended. They waited until all the footsteps had died down before getting to their feet.

"That's why they're barbarians," Hajime muttered bitterly. "They don't give a damn for comrades."

"In this case, I'm glad they don't," Yuki responded. "Let's go. Where's this 6-78f?"

"On the sixth floor, room 78f. Easy enough, isn't it?"

"Of course, but it'll be much easier if you were to lead us there," Yuki said.

"No problem."

They set off at a run once again, appearing in and out of the circles of light that illuminated the corridor. Doors were shut to either side of them, and as Yuki glanced around, it brought back hazed memories that he would have rather left untouched.

"_Spit out everything you know; all of Konoha's weaknesses and strengths. Tell us or we'll kill everyone you hold dear."_

"_They aren't here." _

"_Oh yes they are." _

"_You can't kill them." _

"_There goes one, and there goes another." _

"_Stop…stop! STOP!" _

Yuki closed his eyes and dispelled the voices that rose in his mind. It was strange, since he had never been one to be troubled by past dreams. _Maybe it's Hatake's influence_, he thought wryly and yet sadly. He opened his eyes and focused back onto the mission. They were on the fifth floor already and they were about to ascend the next stairs when a shout drew their attention.

"What are you doing?" They turned to see a shinobi step out of a dark shadow and jog towards them.

"Going to inform Yuon-san," Hajime snapped unexpectedly. "If you have time slipping in and out of shadows go block the infiltrator's way upstairs."

"Yuon-san is already informed," the shinobi returned with cool, slanted eyes. "What are you really up to?"

"Something you've stuck your neck too far into," Ryo said from behind him. The ninja started to turn around but a katana through his neck killed him instantly. Without another word, they left the bleeding corpse and bounded up the stairs. Hajime seemed more alert now and they dropped their pace a little. Yuki and Ryo made sure there were no other presences nearby.

But as soon as they had turned the first bend, they began to hear fragmented screams. The three glanced at each other, but they all knew what the other was thinking. As they continued, the agonised voice grew louder until they saw an open door. Or rather, the door was lying, dented on the ground. They flatted against the wall with Yuki closest to the room.

"What is it?" came a voice and it was obviously not addressing the tortured prisoner they knew were inside. Yuki put out a hand to indicate that the two of them should stay right there. He then straightened and walked into the room.

"Sir, I come with a message from – " Yuki jerked his head to the side as a kunai flew passed.

"Don't put on a stupid monkey show," the shinobi said. "Do you think that I, Yuon, Head of Torture and Interrogation and former Elite, would be fooled by your catchy antiques? Sending in subordinates to draw our attention while you go hunting for your big fish."

Yuki's lip twitched into a mirthless smile as he let go of the henge and returned to his hooded robe and iced mask. "I've come for the 'big fish'," he said softly.

"Interesting," Yuon breathed. "Take him if you can."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi felt the strain from his left eye and he closed it before it would become a further problem. Then he looked around himself at the group of enemy that had him surrounded at one end of the row of cells on the fifth floor. It was getting increasingly difficult to remain unharmed and keep them occupied. He could always get away from them with sheer speed, but that would ruin the whole point of him being there. And he was reluctant to use too much chakra as he still didn't know what had happened to him earlier. His short time to think came to a quick end, however, when they attacked.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Banto vaulted backwards, flipping hand over feet several times, twisting away from the rain of weapons that flew down on him. He landed upright and a moment later, he leapt away again, as the ground beneath his feet cracked. He reached out with his right hand as he appeared a little distance away from the six Elites. Banto was breathing a little quicker than he would have liked and he was finding it more difficult than he had imagined. _Has the years of peace dulled my speed?_ he thought. Then he glanced towards the Prison. _Captain, you'd better come out soon._

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

There! Personally, I don't feel too good about this chapter…something's wrong, but I don't see how else I could have written it. Anyways, let me know what you thought about it, please!

Translations (Sry, forgot. Wyldcat, thanks for reminding me!):_Fukashikousen _translates to become 'invisible ray', and I got that off a dictionary to be honest, since my Japanese doesn't get that sophisticated...Basically, it's close to a wind technique, except that the attacks are thin rays instead of whole blades.

As always, thanks for reading!

.LinSetsu.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven:**

Ryo and Hajime didn't have the opportunity to watch the fight between Yuon and Yuki. As soon as his partner disappeared into the room, Ryo's attention was drawn to voices that were becoming louder and closer. After a moment's indecision, he pushed away from the wall and silently ran a few metres away from the door and went through a set of seals. At the first corner, he pressed his hands down onto the floor. _Doton Ganpeki no jutsu_. Almost immediately, the earthen walls curled and twisted out of shape while the ground and ceiling began to merge together. Within seconds, the hallway was sealed by a rough surfaced rock wall. Ryo looked up at his work and decided that it would be sturdy enough to keep the enemy away for at least a little while. It had been helpful that they were underground amid all the rich, natural resources.

He returned to Hajime and pulled him a little away from the doorway just as he released the disguise of being a Cloud guard. "Can you use a henge while you fight?" he asked softly. Hajime nodded. "Then disguise yourself as one of us. They're coming."

There was no need to ask who; Hajime had more than a little idea. He quickly did as he was told and then they waited, though not for long.

The first four shinobi that turned the corner went down almost instantly and then it took the rest a precious second or two to tune into what was happening. Within that time span, Hajime and Ryo snatched the advantage and blocked the way.

Yuki and Yuon had barely moved until the fight outside began. As if using the noise as a cue, they leapt towards each other and exchanged several probing blows, looking for weaknesses or strengths, testing speed and power. By the time they disengaged, Yuki had a basic idea of how he could finish this battle quickly. Yuon was quick and protected his defenceless openings well, but it appeared that the years he had spent interrogating and torturing had dulled his fighting skills. But the first thing he had to ensure was the spy's safety.

"I guess the Elite standards have dropped lately," Yuki taunted gently.

"Maybe they have," was all Yuon would say. Yuki shrugged mentally; he hadn't really expected the former Elite to rise to the bait. He drew out his katana, holding it low and he slid into a battle ready stance. This alone caused Yuon's knees to bend slightly and his torso leaned forward ever so slightly. Yuki pushed off with his right foot, and disappeared to the untrained eye. He watched as Yuon tensed but waited still. At the last moment, Yuki brought his left foot down and abruptly changed directions, and swiped the katana in a swift horizontal arc. Yuon, whether he saw it or not, barely moved. He shifted his weight slightly to the right and back, but the blade still tore shallowly across his chest. Yuki wondered briefly what he was planning, but he used the moment to get behind Yuon and land beside the spy, his hands already flying through a set of complicated seals. Yuon spun around, clearly not having anticipated such an act. He growled at his own stupidity and unleashed a heavy rain of electric bolts that crackled through the air.

But the attack didn't harm Yuki or the spy as it crashed against the far wall. The Uchiha let out a small breath as he completed the Genjutsu Fuuin just in time. It would be difficult to break the technique without any source of water, but considering that the Clouds knew a lot about electricity jutsus, there was a chance that they could break it without the proper Fuuin Kai. Taking the moment while Yuon recovered from being faced with this new obstacle, Yuki gathered a little chakra to his hands and briefly touched Ryuichi's shoulders. The man instantly jerked awake from the illusion he had been under but it seemed to take him a moment to register what was happening. Beads of cold sweat ran down his face and thin lines of blood trickled down his chin from his mouth where he had bitten open his lips and gum. His eyes held confusion and Yuki was quick to recognise the shadows of fear not much different from the look of a hunted animal. For a moment, he worried that perhaps Ryuichi had already spilled information.

"Stay here, don't move," he ordered quietly. Then he rose and stepped out of the barrier of the Genjutsu Fuuin.

"You are his friend?" Yuon asked, never relaxing his cautious stance. Yuki noticed that the blood still ran freely from his open wound and was forming a little puddle on the floor.

"I wonder," he responded nonchalantly. "In any case, a dying person does not need to know." He lunged forward again, moving quickly, the blade of his sword constantly slicing almost soundlessly through the air. But something was wrong. Yuki ducked under a punch and spun around at the same time, and then vaulted lightly over the arching kick was rose towards his chest. Another opening; Yuon's back was turned while he was carried by the momentum of the kick. Yuki brought the katana down vertically, and due to an instinctive jerk on Yuon's side, he missed the vital spine. But that wasn't what he was concerned about. Yuon had barely retaliated, and when he did, it was by using taijutsu, which Yuki could tell wasn't his talent. The movements were well practiced and he was experienced, but the blows lacked accuracy and speed.

Yuki frowned and took a few steps away from his enemy. He was immediately put on guard when Yuon suddenly grinned, and then he began to laugh softly and mirthlessly. "You've lost this fight, brave ninja," he whispered. Yuki stiffened before he could ponder the words and he threw himself to the side as something sliced through the air where he had formally been standing. He rolled over his left arm and as soon as he got to his feet, he was forced to leap over a dark red, crescent shaped disk. Distantly, he could hear Yuon still chuckling, but he wasn't permitted to let his concentration drop. Whatever it was, the disk flipped around and came back at him. This time, Yuki ran forward and met it, his katana coming down in a vertical swing. But the thin, red disk suddenly melted into liquid and flew right around him and his sword. It didn't form into one again after coming up behind the ANBU. Hundreds of red senbon needles rained down on the Uchiha, the majority of them piercing right through him.

Yuki landed on the other side of Yuon and watched the porcupined kawarimi drop to the ground from the corner of his eye. Yuon slowly turned to face him. "Blood," Yuki realised, wiping a stray droplet from his hand.

"Surprised?" Yuon said. "Yes, our bloodline limit is the ability to control our blood. Useful, don't you think?"

_More disturbing than useful_, Yuki thought absently but he was forced to move as the needles flew at him again. But he didn't have the time to play around with unusual abilities. He leapt to the left of the weapons, moving no more than was absolutely necessary. Yuon was standing with his arms crossed in a calm composer. Too calm. With speed and grace that made him look as if he were dancing, Yuki dodged blood composed needles, shuriken, kunai and blades that came from almost all directions. Yet he was constantly moving closer and closer to his target. In his opinion though, things were taking far too long. He suddenly stopped and waited a second for all the weapons to surround him in a quickly diminishing circle. His hands flew through seals before he quickly knelt down and slammed his left onto the floor. The stone immediately frosted over and ice sprang up from the ground and engulfed all the blood hardened weapons, freezing them in the air.

A look of surprise crossed Yuon's face and he blinked, but then the robed shinobi suddenly appeared directly in front of him. He instinctively threw his weight backwards to avoid being cut in half, but the cold blade still penetrated deep into his skin just under the ribs. He grimaced, but grinned triumphantly as he coughed up blood and collapsed onto his knees. The shinobi, who had landed behind him after his attack, stood oblivious to the rising sheet of Yuon's blood that rose swiftly over him. He had won.

Yuki was thinking the same thing. He was in fact, well aware of the silent wall that loomed above him, which was probably meant to enclose and suffocate him. He sighed quietly and sheathed his sword. Yuon was chuckling again on his hands and knees. With some effort, he stood up and brought a hand to his deepest wound, about to turn around and watch the enemy die slowly. He stilled the moment his hand felt cold, solid ice. He glanced sharply down at himself and his eyes widened to see the injury frozen. Not only that, all the other wounds were beginning to freeze, the ice quickly spreading across his body. In slight panic, Yuon spun around to see his opponent facing him with his weapon already put away. A sharp twinge of pain caused him to fall to his knees again, his face contorted in agony as the ice bit deeper and deeper into his body.

"Ninpo Touretsu no jutsu," Yuki explained calmly. "That ice will freeze all the liquid within your body, which will eventually split apart." Horror was etched deep into Yuon's face, but he didn't doubt the words. With a pained groan, he collapsed onto his side, his legs and most of his upper body already frozen stiff. His face soon followed, the wide eyed expression remaining in place as the ice crept over his skin. Yuki turned away from his fallen opponent and walked over to Ryuichi. The spy watched silently as a crack echoed in the room, and Yuon's body splintered into millions of small ice shards that glittered in the air for a moment before sprinkling down onto the floor.

Yuki knelt down in front of him and quickly cut the rope that bound him. "Are you all right?" he asked. Ryuichi nodded, absently rubbing his raw wrists. Then he looked up into the ice covered mask.

"ANBU?" he asked very quietly. Yuki nodded once. He brought his thumb to his mouth under the mask and bit down to draw a little blood. Then he went through a familiar set of seals and summoned a small, fluffy, grey duckling.

"Tsubasa, inform the rest that we've got the spy and to get the hell out of here," he said.

"Roger that," the little animal replied, and then disappeared again with a small pop. Yuki offered Ryuichi a hand and pulled him up from the ground. The weakened shinobi winced as his legs refused to hold him properly upright. Yuki was quick to support him, bracing one arm behind his back and pulling Ryuichi's left arm around his neck. It was good that Ryuichi was a small, light man since Yuki had high doubts that they would get out of the Prison without a fight or two.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Hajime was thrown against the wall, not for the first time since their battle had begun, and he frowned at his own incompetence. He looked up quickly as several shuriken flew at him, but before he could move, Ryo intercepted them with his the kunai in his hands.

"Don't stand still," he warned quietly.

"Sorry," Hajime muttered. Without another word, they both leapt away in opposite directions to stop the flow of shinobi that tried to get passed them. Ryo was beginning to get frustrated with the limited amount of techniques that he was permitted to use. Most of the ones that were effective against great odds were obvious, Konoha jutsus. After throwing his hand weapon into the foot of one careless ninja, his hands flicked through a set of seals and he slapped his right against the wall. _Doton Iwa Yagara no jutsu_. Short, sharp arrowheads emerged from the rock walls and propelled towards the line of enemies. Several went down with pained cries but many still got away. He immediately ducked under a bolt of lightning and then pivoted on his right foot, his left rising high and catching the closest shinobi under the chin. He spared a quick glance at Hajime and almost sighed when he saw that the other was being pressed ever backwards. As he dodged the next few attacks, he began to form seals again. _Fuyukaze no jutsu_. It wasn't the ideal place to use the technique, but he couldn't afford to be thinking too deeply. The cool breeze was gentle at first before it picked up speed at an admirable rate, rushing through the ranks of shinobi.

Ryo left them there to deal with the wind and ice. Moving quickly, he leapt right into the midst of the group that Hajime were up against, and he drew out his katana. The startled shinobi immediately brought their weapons down on him, but he acted quicker, and aided by a small burst of chakra, he spun around in a complete circle, his sword positioned at chest level. The Cloud shinobi, none higher than a standard Jounin tensed as they saw their enemy's figure flicker for a moment and then they saw nothing more as they collapsed.

Hajime looked up sharply and his eyes did not land on the four fallen enemies, but on the katana that Ryo held. "Give me the sword!" he barked out, blocking a high kick and then twisting his body around to avoid a follow through blow from the other foot. Ryo hesitated a moment, and then found Hajime landing just behind him. "Give me the sword if you want to get out of here alive," he said. Ryo suppressed the urge to scoff at his somewhat superior attitude, but he handed him the katana in any case.

"Thanks," Hajime said, stepping away from Ryo and facing the wary Clouds. "If you really wanted to know, my forte isn't taijutsu, genjutsu or ninjutsu. It's kenjutsu." The ANBU watched with slight interest as his temporary comrade sank into a traditional kenjutsu stance, with the bent right leg forward and the left somewhat stretched behind him. The katana was position at his left hip, the hilt held loosely with his right hand. His free hand hovered over the base of the blade where the scabbard would have usually been. Hajime gazed steadily at the enemy, and when one of them shifted slightly, he leapt away from the floor. _Kumogari no Mai_.

Yuki exited the room and took in the situation quickly. Ryo noticed his presence straight away and he knew the unspoken command. He leapt after Hajime and grabbed his arm in mid swing. Although it was slightly difficult to form seals while supporting a body, Yuki's hands didn't lose their speed. Hajime struggled for a moment, but then instantly froze when he glimpsed a wave of ice washing towards them. The next second, he found himself standing safely beside the other ANBU and Ryuichi, and he found himself blinking in surprise. Upon turning around, he was shocked to see all the shinobi, regardless of whether they were standing, on the ground or dead, all frozen in packs of ice and snow. Ryo didn't seem fazed in the slightest, but Ryuichi looked similarly surprised.

"How do you know so many ice jutsus?" Ryuichi asked.

"They don't call me 'Yuki' for nothing," he replied with a hint of amusement. "Let's go."

As they began running, Hajime released his henge for a brief moment and winked at Ryuichi with a grin. "Good to see you alive, Ryuichi," he said.

"And it's good to see you out of that cell."

"All thanks to your friendly comrades. Maybe I should join Konoha."

"Hajime, if you have the time to crack pointless jokes, go up ahead and keep a watch out," Ryo said sharply.

"Geez, I'm sorry, I was kidding," Hajime drawled with a lazy smirk before he disguised himself again.

"What of Hatake and Banto?" Ryo asked.

"I'm not sure," Yuki replied. "I had Tsubasa send them both a message, so we'll be able to meet back at the cave."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi had been managing fine until the Elite had come. He had counted three and had engaged in short, indecisive battles with two of them. He was currently pressed against the wall between two cells in a fairly dark corner. He knew that the Elites were somewhere close by, along with at least a dozen other shinobi. And he also knew that he couldn't be hiding for much longer. He had to tell them that he was still there, and in doing so, keep them occupied. But he noted that the numbers of ninjas steadily grew with time and he vaguely wondered if Banto had been forced to leave his post. It had been several minutes since he had seen Yuki, and he guessed it would take them several more until they found the spy.

"Hey stranger." The scratchy, unfamiliar voice caused Kakashi to turn his head and look into the right cell. A haggard prisoner was standing close to the bars and watching him with keen, dark eyes. "Why not break open our cells so we can cause some chaos? It'll help you a great deal – something good for both you and us. What about it?"

It was a good idea, and if he did that, it would draw the attention of even more shinobi and when the time came for Yuki to escape with the spy, they would have an easier time blending into the commotion. "Sorry," he replied, and the look on the prisoner's face instantly fell with disbelief. "I'm not such a nice person and I didn't come here to free you."

"You must be kidding! You'll never get – " The prisoner grabbed the bars out of desperation and screamed as the talismans exploded electricity into him. Kakashi gritted his teeth; so much for staying hidden. He immediately pushed away from the wall, but he had gone only two steps to the iron railing when he was forced to duck under a number of well aimed kunai. As soon as they passed overhead, he got onto the railing and leapt up to the next level, pulling his leg up just in time to avoid the shuriken that clattered against the base of the cement flooring. Without pausing, he began to run along the balcony, feeling all the presences gathering close to him. The first that showed himself came down from above, blocking his way. It was a normal shinobi who leapt forward to meet him with a kunai in each hand.

Kakashi didn't break step as he realised that this was one was bait. The shinobi flung the kunai, one after the other and Kakashi caught the soft sizzling on timed talismans. His hands immediately flew through seals just as the explosives went off, blasting everything within a few metres radius, including the unfortunate prisoner who sat in the cell with no means of escape. The shinobi leapt backwards from the detonation and searched through the thick smoke. He barely had a second of shock as the infiltrator suddenly appeared right before him and then disappeared again. Or rather, his eyes saw no more as Kakashi's blade cleanly sliced his throat open. After he had discarded his katana earlier on, he had taken one off a corpse of a Cloud guard.

The lasting momentum of the Shunshin was probably the only thing that kept him alive when an Elite dropped down behind him and thrust out a short kodachi that would have pierced through his heart. Kakashi twisted around clockwise, the blade scraping his robe but doing him no damage. He swung his katana across his body and in a deadly arc at the Elite's throat, but he arched his back and flipped over his hands to avoid the slice. Kakashi jerked the sword back quickly before his enemy could kick it out of his hands. But he reached for a kunai and flung it down at the Elite, stabbing his left hand before he could complete the flip. There was a soft hiss of agony, but Kakashi ignored him and turned his attention in front of him again.

The first thing he saw was a leg swinging into his face and he instinctively jerked both his hands up, receiving most of the impact on his forearms. The force of the kick flung him against the railing, which he flipped over backwards to avoid having his lower body crushed under some technique. He cursed softly under his breath, realising a little too late, that this was what they wanted: to have him in the air with little to no way of escaping. A shower of hand weapons rained down on him and he had no choice but to deflect them all with the sword. One of the kunai caused a crack to zigzag its way through the blade, and the last shuriken splintered it. Kakashi cast the hilt away with slight irritation. That was why he hated amateur swords; they broke too easily with only the minimal damage. He looked down at the balcony and saw two of the Elite, not including the one he had injured before. As one, they began to form seals and Kakashi snapped his left eye open. His hands came together copying the same exact order of seals, and then he tensed, forcing his hands to stop abruptly. Copying a technique would just be one more clue they would have to track him down. He immediately began another set.

_Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi_. The wind clashed against what looked like black lightning a second before it hit him. The force of the impact still hurled him roughly away, but he was unscathed. He landed on the other side of the oval and was relieved to find no one of close by. He was about to start running again when something moved inside his robe. Kakashi started, stiffening and had to greatly resist the urge to jump when something white and fluffy appeared inside his hood. Then it spoke before he could reach up and yank it out.

"Yuki-dono wishes to inform you that they've got the spy and that you should get the hell out of here," he said in a squawky little voice.

"Understood," Kakashi replied, keeping his voice quiet and steady. He would deal with Yuki later. But he couldn't help but ground out, "Now get out of there, _immediately_." The duck gave an indignant quack before it disappeared with a small pop. But he decided that hearing this news made things so much easier. All he had to do was get out.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Banto assessed the situation and quickly found that it really wasn't going good for him. He was out of explosives, low on kunai, empty on shuriken and desperately outnumbered, both in number, and he had to admit, skill. But seeing that the original six Elites still remained, it meant that he had their full attention. Of course, as he had been busy dealing with them, he suspected that many others were making their way into the Prison. Well, Yuki and the others would have to deal with them. His own attention and concentration were already fully booked.

They moved. Three to the left, two to the right, and one disappeared. Instinct told him to look for the one that disappeared, but experience told him otherwise. It was a tactic often used, so that the shinobi's focus would be on trying to locate the missing one. No, it was the two on the right that were to be watched. He reached into his back pouch and pulled out the remaining four kunai. They would have to do. Banto quickly leapt back as the Elites attacked in uniform motions. And as he had anticipated, the two most fatal attacks came from the right, which he barely missed.

He turned and created such distance between him and the Elites, bringing them into a slightly darker area where the light of the fire was less intense. Then he turned again and flung the kunai at his pursuers. None of them hit target, but that was exactly what he wanted. Quickly he stopped and lunged at the nearest shinobi with nothing but a fake set of seals. Suddenly he snapped his head up as the Elite who had earlier disappeared came down on him. A satisfied look flickered in his eyes behind the mask, but he didn't waste his time in case they really did kill him. He jerked backwards to dodge the sword that would have cut his whole left arm off. The cold blade still found him though, and it opened a short wound on his shoulder. Banto jumped back and landed on his knees, his hands flying through a set of seals before his right hand went up to clutch the bleeding shoulder.

Banto watched carefully as the Elites drew closer. They were cautious, but as he didn't move, they approached step by step. Just a bit more, even one more ninja, just another step further. Good. He lifted his index and middle finger in a standard one handed seal. _Ninpo Ikinai Kanzen Nenshou_. The Elites froze as the ground suddenly glowed in the shape of a square, the four corners created by the kunai that Banto had thrown. Four of the Elites were inside the shape when black flames erupted from the ground, swallowing everything and anything in the area within the four kunai. Banto stepped back from the fire and mentally cringed at the thought that Yuki would scold him again for using a second fire technique. Still, his logic had been that if they didn't use a single flame jutsu, it would again be suspicious.

He watched the fire slowly die down after reaching its peak, and then tensed. Without thought, he leapt to the right, missing a bolt of something black, which he wasn't too keen on touching. But then a strand of electricity from another Elite wrapped around his ankle and he stifled a scream as pain shot through his system. He landed heavily on the ground, just barely getting his feet under him. His body stung and he wasn't sure whether he had full control over every limb when they all felt half numb. Maybe it was time that he bailed out. Then again, even if it was a captain's order to run when things turned bad, his training as a shinobi and ANBU marked that choice as 'not possible'.

Banto looked up to see that only one the Elites had been harmed by the attack, and he was still alive with only one of his arms missing, as opposed to his whole body. So much for his plan. The remaining five lunged forward. _I'm screwed_. Banto slowly grinned and narrowed his eyes mirthlessly. He reached inside the robe and finally withdrew the katana, his last weapon. The Elites surrounded the crouched shinobi and threw down their swords, which surprisingly only met the air and then the earth. Banto appeared behind them, his katana swinging diagonally down on one of their backs. The Elite twisted around and blocked the blow, and another leapt forward, but their enemy eluded them again. He landed a few metres away from them, and then attacked head on. The five Clouds found themselves facing a completely different opponent. The robed shinobi was no longer calculating and reading, but was simply swinging his sword in a random, almost amateur way, and this made it impossible for them to predict his next moves.

Banto grinned as he jumped back from an uncertain strike, and then leapt forward again. In actual fact, he was the weakest member of Yuki's squad even though he had speed. But the ANBU had selected him for a reason. When he was cornered, no one knew what he would do, not even himself. He didn't lose his mind, but animalistic instincts took over completely. He had to admit though, that it was because of his speed that allowed the outburst to keep him alive.

Slowly, he pushed the Elites back up the slanted ground towards the Prison. He leapt at one of the Elites, his blade coming up in a diagonal slash, which he suddenly stopped and instead, he swiped his foot against the other's leg, pushing him slightly off balance. He spun around and raised the katana above his head to block a vertical cut, and then threw his body sideward, ramming right into another's chest.

"…o…anto…" It took his a few moments to realise that he was hearing something. "Banto! Banto! BANTO!" He leapt backwards from the Elites and searched for the source of the voice until he suddenly noticed the fluff at his ear. He sighed, not bothering to be surprised at his captain's antiques.

"I hear you, I hear you," he said quickly. "What?"

"Yuki-dono wishes to inform you that they've got the spy and that you should get the hell out of here," the duck recited.

"Great, just when things were getting interesting," he grumbled.

"You know Yuki-dono doesn't like it when you get out of hand," the animal warned softly. Banto sighed and nodded. "Hatake should be out any second now, seeing as it took longer than I expected to get your attention."

"Don't tell Captain, will you?" Banto said, leaping away from the Clouds that came at him again.

"He will know without me telling him," came the reply. A sudden rise in commotion drew their attention to the entrance of the Prison and they immediately spotted the dozens of robed shinobi that began to pour out, no matter how many the Clouds tried to take down. Banto grinned again, though this time out of amusement.

"Good idea," he breathed, bringing his hands together. _Kage bunshin no jutsu_. "I bid thee all farewell, my good friends of Kumogakure."

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Took a while, huh? Sorry about that. I really shouldn't be writing now, since I have so much work to do, but oh well. Hope you enjoyed.

**Translations: **  
_Doton Ganpeki no jutsu – _wall of rock  
_Genjutsu Fuuin – _seal of illusions  
_Touretsu no jutsu – _touretsu is when, for example, all the liquids freeze over inside trees during winter and the wood suddenly cracks  
_Iwa Yagara no jutsu – _same as Chuchi Yagara, just with rock…?  
_Fuyukaze no jutsu – _winter wind  
_Kumogari no Mai – _dance of the hunt of cloud  
_Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi _– sickling wind  
_Ikinai Kanzen Nenshou – _complete combustion within an area

(Wow, there was a lot…)

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope the battle scenes aren't dragging too much. If they are, please tell me!  
.LinSetsu.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve: **

Kakashi arrived at the designated cave and paused, scanning the area for any presences. He had taken some time to shake off any pursuers, and wasn't surprised to find no one close by. That is, no one, not including Banto. Kakashi entered the hideout and found a kunai halfway to his throat. Banto froze and then sighed irritably, lowering the weapon and moving away from the wall next to the opening.

"Don't conceal your presence at times like this, Hatake," he said quietly. "It's way too hard to distinguish between friend and foe."

Kakashi simply shrugged as he positioned himself on the other side of the opening. "I see you're talented at running away, as always," he commented.

"Not as much as you are with getting under people's skins," Banto ground out. Kakashi glanced at him.

"You're injured," he said.

"It's nothing serious."

"Have you forgotten where we are? Blood loss is going to be a hindrance on our way back, especially if we're followed. If you aren't willing to do it yourself, I'll burn it closed for you."

Banto seriously considered this idea for a moment, and then sighed quietly. On a mission, when an open wound needed to be closed and no medical supply was a hand, they were taught to either burn or freeze it closed. Of course, this did not apply to the Jounin, Chuunin and Genin missions; they were told to seek medical aid as quickly as possible. But the ANBU were expected to accept the pain in order to successfully complete the mission. Thanks to that, he already had a number of burn marks that were self inflicted, and he assumed that most of the ANBU members did too.

Before he had the time to reply, they both tensed and focused outside where they felt a flutter of a presence. A small duck hopped inside, and they immediately relaxed just before Yuki ducked inside, heaving a weak shinobi with him. With one glance at them, he propped the spy up against the wall.

"You all right?" he muttered.

"I've been better, but I've been worse; don't worry," Ryuichi replied with a small smile.

"Hang in there." Yuki then turned to the other two. "Ryo's distracting the enemy," he said to their unasked question. "We also found one other prisoner who's on our side for the time being, so don't be surprised when he arrives. We might have to deal with them coming after us, but we'll see. Banto, sit down and show me the wound."

Banto sighed with resignation and pulled the robe down to reveal his left shoulder that was slick with blood and then sat down as he was told. He wasn't surprised that his captain had noticed it so soon. "You both worry too much," he grumbled. "I would have done it myself."

"It takes longer that way," Yuki said, using his sleeve to carefully wipe some of the blood away to get a better look at the injury. "Besides, ice does a cleaner job."

"Yes, and it's often much harder to move the arm afterwards," Banto muttered under his breath, but Yuki caught it and laughed softly.

"Oh? I could do it fire if you wanted me to, Banto-kun," he mocked. "Except there'll be a danger of you almost fainting a couple of times from the pain."

"Only if you use something as wild as the Karyuu Endan."

"And you think I wouldn't? It's the most efficient to do the job, after all."

Banto was silent for a moment, though he grimaced under his mask at the thought of the powerful fire technique coming even close to him, not to mention burning him. "Can I ask you to stick with the ice, Captain?" he asked with a polite tone. Yuki laughed again. He didn't reply though, as he briefly flicked through a short set of seals. Once the chakra was gathered to his thumb, he pushed it lightly against the open wound and then pulled it slowly down. A thin layer of ice spread between the split skins where his finger touched the shoulder, instantly stopping the bleeding. Banto hissed softly at the pain but he stayed completely still.

"Endure it, it's almost done," Yuki breathed. Ryuichi watched with shock and curiosity. Although he had done several missions that included a few ANBU, he had never seen their ways of treating wounds. In fact, he hardly ever saw an injured ANBU in the first place.

"Won't it numb his entire arm to freeze the wound?" he asked quietly, to no one in particular.

"No." It was Yuki who replied. He removed his hand and Banto leaned his back against the wall breathing a little faster than normal. "The ice simply sticks firmly against the skin and over the wound. The blood is frozen at the topmost layer, and it prevents blood loss. It doesn't heal the injury in any way though. It actually slows down the healing process if anything. But our priority is to be able to still fight. The ice is thin enough to still allow almost free movement and the cold is concentrated to an extent that it only numbs the skin around the wound."

"But it still stings and it leaves a scar," Banto added, pulling the robe back on properly.

"Then you shouldn't have gotten injured in the first place," Yuki retorted.

"Hey, I was surrounded by those Elites!" he protested.

"They found me as well," Kakashi said.

Yuki ignored Banto defence and thought things through for a moment. "They can be a problem," he said. "We may have to split up on the way back. If that happens, Hatake, take Ryuichi straight back to the village. Ryo and I will distract and mislead them. Banto, you'll go with Hatake in case they pick up your trail."

"I might be able to fight then," Ryuichi said.

"No," Yuki responded quickly. "Either Banto or Hatake will bring you back to Konoha. That's our first priority." Ryuichi raised his eyes and seemed as if he would argue, but he looked away and nodded. "Well then, Pinky, Chip, Dale, Voltaire, are you finished?"

Before anyone could quite understand who he was talking to, several squawks responded and an archway suddenly burst open next to Ryuichi, who almost jumped. Four large, multi coloured ducks sprang out and gathered around Yuki. Ryuichi gaped, while Banto and Kakashi merely shook their heads.

"You know, Captain, I'm sure you'd be able to accomplish missions with just your ducks," Banto said.

"I'm sure I could," Yuki replied. "They're certainly more useful than some of my subordinates at times." Banto snorted indignantly.

"What is this?" Ryuichi asked, looking inside the narrow opening that was suddenly created.

"A tunnel of course," Yuki said. "You never pick a hiding place with just one door." He bent down and stroked each of the ducks in turn. "Thank you. I want you to cover the entrance once we go through, so stick around for a little while."

They didn't have to wait for long though. After a minute or so, Ryo arrived, quickly followed by Hajime. "The Elites are coming," the former informed at once. "They'll find us in within five minutes."

Yuki nodded, and with one glance, Banto stood up and Kakashi helped Ryuichi to his feet. "Ryo, take up the rear," Yuki said, and then jumped lightly into the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness. Banto went next, followed by Kakashi and Ryuichi. Hajime glanced once at Ryo, who simply nodded, so he followed. After Ryo entered as well, the four ducks busied themselves with building a makeshift wall with all the dirt that they had gathered just inside the opening.

It was pitch black in the tunnel, but they could all at least walk upright. Yuki felt his way forward at a quick paced walk. He had told the ducks to dig out the shortest way through the hill, so it was only a few minutes before he found the exit. It was covered with a thin layer of grass. He paused for a moment, stretching his senses out as far as possible to check their surroundings.

"No one within a hundred metre radius," Kakashi said quietly, standing behind him. Yuki turned to look at him briefly and reminded himself about the Sharingan. He nodded and pushed the grass cover down, stepping out into the night again. As the others climbed out after him, he looked around and tried to get his bearings back into place. Judging from the curves and turns inside the tunnel, he quickly confirmed which direction was north. Then he turned to the others and took Ryuichi from Kakashi, slinging an arm over around his shoulders. Without a word, they set off at a quick run, all of them eager to get as far as they could while they still had the cover of darkness. The four ANBU, however, knew that they would continue running even after the sun rose.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Hajime lifted his eyes from the branches and looked around. The trees were still thin, but they had entered the Fire Country forests. The sun was about to start its descent behind the horizon to the west, and a light wind was picking up from the north. He pushed off a branch with some extra force and came alongside Ryo.

"Am I imaging things?" he asked quietly. It was Yuki who responded.

"No, they're close."

"At this rate, they'll catch up in a few minutes," Kakashi said.

"Or they'll hang back and just spy on us, to see where we're going," Yuki said. "In any case, we're splitting up. Hajime, what you going to do from now?"

"I'll head West," came the reply. "I may find a job or two in the Wind or Rock country. Or maybe even in the Fire Country." He grinned.

"Why are you still here anyways?" Banto muttered.

"To annoy the hell out of you," he said. "You'll be much healthier that way." Banto growled softly, but Yuki ignored both comments.

"Then Ryo, go with Hajime to the West, and if you're followed, split up again. Shake them off or kill all of them, but don't come back to the Village until you're one hundred percent sure that you aren't being followed. I'll go East to the coastline. Banto and Hatake, you'll take Ryuichi and head straight back to Konoha. If you're followed, one of you will stay behind and take care of him. Find the quickest way back. Understand?"

"Hai," they replied. Kakashi moved alongside Yuki and took Ryuichi from him. The spy was sleeping, as he had been told to do by Yuki at around noon, but he stirred at the movement and raised his head.

"Ryuichi, we're splitting up," Yuki explained. "Banto and Hatake will get to you Konoha by dawn." He nodded. Yuki quickly created a kage bunshin and disguised it as Ryuichi, and slung it over across his shoulder. Then with one nod, he, Ryo and Hajime swerved away in opposite directions.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It wasn't even ten minutes before Kakashi realised they were still being followed. The wind carried the enemy's scent directly to his keen nose. He was pretty sure it was only one, but he couldn't afford to miscalculate. Shifting Ryuichi's weight a little, he quickly formed seals and summoned Pakkun. The small pug, that looked considerably more like one than the first time he had appeared, sat comfortably in the palm of his left hand.

"Not a word, Pakkun," Kakashi warned immediately in a quiet voice. The dog narrowed his eyes but he wasn't stupid enough to miss his master's serious mood. "We're being followed. Most likely by one, but go and make sure, and do it discreetly."

With a sigh, Pakkun nodded and sprang away. It was beginning to get dark, and the trees were thickening around them. Kakashi dropped their pace just a little and exchanged a quick look with Banto. Ryuichi glanced at Kakashi.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I'll deal with the enemy," Kakashi replied. "We can't lose any time here, so Banto will take you back to the village."

"Hatake, wouldn't you be faster getting back to Konoha?" Banto inquired. He knew that his stamina did not match that of the young ANBU. But Kakashi shook his head.

"You're injured, and the enemy has to be killed. I have a better chance of winning." Banto shrugged and said nothing more. For several minutes, they travelled in silence, but Ryuichi, who had been slipping in and out of sleep for the whole journey, remained awake.

Pakkun came back after ten minutes and landed with a flop on Kakashi's robed head. "You were right," he said. "There's one shinobi behind us, about a hundred metres away."

"Alright. You can go now." Looking a little disgruntled, Pakkun disappeared with a soft pop. Banto moved closer to Kakashi though they didn't stop their pace, and took Ryuichi from him.

"Do you want the katana?" Banto asked him, noticing that Kakashi did not have his anymore.

"No," he replied. "Banto-san, take the quickest route. You won't be followed."

They locked gazes for a moment from behind masks, and then the older of the two nodded. "I know."

Kakashi turned abruptly, and jumped back the way he had come. After a few leaps, he could no longer hear Banto, and he concentrated all his senses into finding the enemy. It wasn't long until he figured out the approximate whereabouts. He leapt higher up the branches and then stopped on a sturdy bough that would give him a clear view of the area below. He concealed his presence and silently drew out an explosive talisman and wrapped it around the handle of a kunai. Then he waited, the weapon poised over his left shoulder.

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…I know…I know I'm late…I'm really, really sorry! . 

Thank you so much for the patience everyone!

.LinSetsu.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen: **

The enemy was skilled. Kakashi had difficulty trying to grasp his presence and keep it under surveillance. Being at a higher altitude, he could not pick up the smell from the wind, and visibility was beginning to get poor from the lack of light. Soon it would be dark. He had only his reflexes to rely upon.

Fujita Kakeru was a good tracker and his years in the Elite had honed his skills to near perfection. His stealth and speed made him deadly on the battle field, but his experience in a one on one fight was limited. It was at the last second that he registered the small weapon that thrust into the branch, two or three centimetres from his foot. He instantly froze and sprang back, throwing his arms in front of himself to shield his face from the explosion that charred and violently shook the trees. The force of it hurled him back but he remained mostly unharmed expect for a few very light burns along his forearms. He found his footing on a low branch and immediately jerked backwards as a foot swung directly in front of his face. His vision was filled with the back of a dark, fluttering robe for a second, and then he was forced catch an elbow that rammed into his chest.

The power of the blow still threw him off balance and he lost his footing again. Finding the forest floor approaching him at a quick rate, he twisted into a tight flip and managed to land in a low crouch. The robed figure landed a few metres away. Fujita stared at the plain white mask with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked, not moving from his position.

"I am your death," Kakashi replied. "That is all you need to know."

Fujita clenched his jaws together but showed no other sign of his uneasiness. Such a voice could only belong to a boy, a child, but the icy confidence that the words radiated warned him of a killer. Slowly, he reached up with his hand and gripped the hilt of the katana that hung from his back. His opponent did not move. Within a fraction of a second, he appeared behind the enemy with his sword drawn and swinging it diagonally down into his neck.

Kakashi was impressed. He had originally thought that he could defeat the enemy in a matter of a minute and quickly follow Banto to back him up. But as he stared at Fujita, from a distance of a few paces away, the plain mask donned for the mission cracked and fell to the ground in two pieces. His robe was on the ground at the Elite's feet, slashed somewhat by the sword. The Cloud had speed and he used it expertly. Then, of course, he had to have _some_ ability to have gotten into the Elite.

Fujita was still surprised when he got a proper look at the boy's face, even though he had already guessed that he was still young. Yet the rational parts of his mind had stubbornly insisted, somewhere in the back of his mind, that a child could never possibly radiate such a threatening aura. But the youthful face that stared back at him belonged to one who was surely not even halfway into his teens. Something nagged at the back of his mind, but a sudden prick in the side of his face distracted him. He lifted his free hand to his left cheek and felt the blood seeping slowly down from a shallow cut. Without fully turned his head around, he caught a glimpse of a kunai sticking into the tree behind him. A small bead of cold sweat ran down the side of his face. He hadn't even _seen_ the weapon fly passed him. Now his rational mind told him to ignore the matter of age; the shinobi was a killer.

The two locked gazes for only a few seconds before Kakashi leapt forward, covering the distance between them in one bound. Fujita yanked the sword from the ground, slashing it almost vertically upwards when the younger ninja came within reach. Kakashi twisted his left shoulder back, avoiding the blade, and sprung smoothly over Fujita. He withdrew a kunai while he flipped in the air, landing behind his enemy. He stabbed the kunai upwards, aiming it at the side of Fujita's unprotected neck. The hand weapon thrust deep into a piece of dry log, and Kakashi immediately let go of it, already spinning around to his left and drawing out another kunai.

As Fujita appeared exactly where Kakashi had anticipated, the Elite's sword was almost at his neck. Kakashi opened his left eye and by using the Sharingan, ducked under the blade that brushed lightly against his hair. As he went down, he struck out with his foot against his enemy's right leg and knocked him off balance. Without breaking his movement, Kakashi rose behind Fujita, dragging the kunai roughly along the Elite's right hand and forearm. Fujita hissed in pain and his hand automatically jerked open, letting the sword drop to the ground. Getting a brief footing below him, he attempted to spin around but Kakashi prevented him from doing so by slamming his knee against his back and pushing him onto the ground. He swapped the kunai to his left hand and with his right, he grabbed Fujita's injured wrist and twisted it around him back, pinning him completely onto the floor. Kakashi brought the kunai to his neck. Fujita glared up Kakashi from the corner of his eyes. Kakashi stared blankly back.

"A silver haired boy, the son of the legendary White Fang, with a transplanted Sharingan in his left eye; Hatake Kakashi," Fujita muttered. "I've heard the rumours. So it was the Konoha ANBU who attacked the Village last night."

"What good does the knowledge do to someone who is going to die?" Kakashi said.

"Then kill me," Fujita replied. "Kumogakure will know the truth in due time."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly. "We're being underestimated," he mumbled under his breath. He lifted the kunai and brought it sharply down towards Fujita's throat.

When it was less than a centimetre away from his skin, Kakashi jerked his head up and instantly leapt over a line of multiple shuriken. Fujita's expression changed quickly from surprise to irritation, but he immediately scrambled to his feet and jumped up into the trees. Kakashi watched him disappear into the darkness and he now felt a second presence. _As I thought._

Kakashi slipped the kunai back into its holster and his hands flicked through a few seals. He slowly reached over with his left hand and wrapped it around his right wrist just as his chakra flared in his palm, emitting a sharp sound of crying birds. _Chidori_.

Fujita hesitated when he felt a sudden surge of chakra that he couldn't identify. He paused on the next branch he landed on and turned around, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rising. His eyes flicked to and fro and he suddenly noticed that his hands and arms began to tingle. His back-up partner landed beside him and gave him a questioning look.

"What is it?"

"I don't know," Fujita replied. "Keep quiet." From the distance, he heard the bird cries growing louder, as if a flock of them were heading straight towards them. Then he abruptly realised that it wasn't birds chirping. The sound was more sharp and piercing, and within moments, he felt like he was being surrounded by hundreds or thousands of crying birds.

"What in the world," his companion breathed, turning his head from left to right. The darkness of the night prevented them from seeing very far, but Fujita couldn't suppress the uneasy feeling that rose in his chest.

Without letting his alert senses drop, he withdrew a kunai with his left hand and held it defensively in front of him. All of a sudden, he saw a thin streak of light approaching them, several metres below their altitude. What surprised him was the speed, and he knew instinctively that they were in danger. Fujita caught a glimpse of the ANBU before both he and the light disappeared. But the noise continued getting louder to a point where it was almost unbearable when mixed with the tangible tension. Fujita stiffened instantly when he saw the shinobi disappear, but he felt the flare of chakra barely a second afterwards, coming up directly behind them.

He spun around, his mouth open to scream a warning, but his back-up was already engulfed in a blinding blue light. Fujita didn't even have the time to reach out to him before he was hurled off him feet and sent crashing into a tree some fifty odd metres away, along with the light. _Light? No_, he thought, _that's chakra. He's concentrated so much chakra that it becomes visible to the naked eye_.

Kakashi straightened and allowed his bloody hand to fall to his side, though the chakra was still blazing. He glanced down at the body in front of him and confirmed that the Elite was dead. The Chidori had pierced right through is heart; he would have died almost instantly without knowing what had even hit him. Kakashi turned his head to lock gazes with Fujita, and then leapt away.

Fujita tensed when Kakashi disappeared again and he only saw a blur of blue light shimmering in the darkness. He traced the blur for a second, and then leapt up from the branch, barely escaping the attack as he felt the sheer power of the chakra brushing centimetres from his legs. He gritted his teeth, and gathered his full concentration as he glided through the air. The ANBU was moving fast, and he had already spun around and was coming at him again. Nevertheless, Fujita felt a sense of triumph as he planted his feet against a tree trunk and pushed himself down. It was a match of speed. Granted, the technique was something to admire, but such a simple attack relying solely on a one direction dash had many openings once the first thrust was avoided.

Fujita used all the speed he had, leaping from one side to the next, a flickering shadow amongst the deep darkness. He leapt forward from a branch using a burst of chakra that caused the wood to splinter, and he appeared at the ANBU's midriff, under his still chakra charged hand. Without wasting even a fraction of a second, he thrust the kunai he felt up into his enemy's throat using both his hands.

The weapon skimmed only through the air and met no resistance. Fujita's eyes grew wide and for a brief second, he was immobilised with disbelief. In that second, he felt a burst of pain from behind and when he glanced down at himself, saw a blood hand protruding from his chest. The kunai slipped from his hands and he couldn't do anything to stop the ever accelerating descend into a low, broad branch.

The light from the chakra finally faded and Kakashi stood above the fallen shinobi who lay still against the slightly cracked tree trunk. He stared down at the Elite's face, contorted with pain and watched as he drew in a shuddering breath, releasing it with a racking cough that spurted blood from his mouth. His eyes slowly opened and he shifted his head slightly to lock gazes with Kakashi.

"How?" he croaked in a hoarse whisper. "How could you react to the counter when you were going at that high speed?"

Kakashi didn't reply. He could see that the man was already half dead. He wouldn't live long enough to hear out the answer. Fujita's strained eyes widened a little as his breathing became staggered and he understood. The last thing he saw was the dark red eye and the three black tails. _The Sharingan…_

Kakashi watched the Elite's eyes roll into his head and his bloody body fell limp. He remained still for a few moments, simply staring at the corpse at his feet and feeling the blood trickling down his arm and dripping off his fingers. His mind was strangely blank. When he finally stirred, he took his eyes off the body and stepped off the branch, landing softly on a lower bough and making his way silently back to where he had left his robe. He passed the body of the second Cloud, the smell of blood spreading around in the air, and he closed his left eye.

As he dropped silently onto the ground, he first picked up the cracked mask pieces, slipping them into his back pouch, and then walked over to the robe and sword. He lifted the blade away from the clothing and held it for a moment before sliding it into the mud deep enough for it to remain upright. Then he quickly stooped over to retrieve the slightly ripped robe and slung it loosely over his shoulders while he leapt away.

He travelled at a quick pace through the night, but he didn't meet up with Banto until they were less than an hour away from Konoha. It would have been possible to track him down using his heightened sense of smell, but it would be safer to remain split up, just in case. One couldn't be too careful.

It was approximately two hours before sunrise when Kakashi finally joined Banto and Ryuichi. The other ANBU had sensed Kakashi approaching for several hours now and wasn't surprised when the boy suddenly appeared at his side. What did draw his attention was that the mask was not in its place and the robe was ripped along the side, the tattered hems fluttering in the air.

"Was he trouble?" Banto asked quietly.

"There were two," Kakashi replied, "but not experienced fighters; probably trackers. Nothing happen?"

"None," Banto said, and then hesitated a little. "Except that he's been having nightmares or something for the past hour or so." Kakashi glanced at the spy and saw that he was asleep, but his breathing was quick and his face was pulled into a grimace. Banto continued. "I've looked for signs of any lingering illusions, but there aren't any."

"Could be a simple trauma from the experience," Kakashi said and left it at that. "I'll carry him the rest of the way if you're tired."

Banto gave a little indignant snort. "Oh please, I'm not that weak." Kakashi shrugged and they ran in silence until they reached Konoha's northern gates just as the darkness began to give way to the faintest shade of morning light.

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Please take a look at my profile everyone!  
.LinSetsu.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen: **

As it was that neither Kakashi nor Banto had directly received the mission order, they had little idea as of where they were meant to bring Ryuichi. Banto suggested the hospital but Kakashi thought it was better if they brought him to the ANBU headquarters, where they could hand him over to their superiors. Banto shrugged. The person in question was still in a state of unconsciousness in any case.

When they arrived at the gates, they were still closed but the guards noticed them and after a brief questioning and positive identification, they were able to go through within a minute. The village was still asleep and the two of them ran lightly over the rooftops towards the headquarters. The sun finally rose over the horizon as they arrived and Ryuichi stirred, slowly opening his eyes and lifting his head a little to look around.

"We're back in Konoha," Banto explained as he lowered Ryuichi onto the ground with his back against the building wall. Kakashi left them there and walked swiftly inside. He headed towards the main office and found it closed. For a moment, he feared that nobody was around, but he raised a hand and knocked. After a brief pause, he was called in and he quickly opened the door.

Keiji was leaning against the large desk with his arms crossed and beside him was Hatori in his uniform. They both looked at him as he stepped inside and Kakashi nodded to them.

"What happened?" Keiji asked and a faint frown crossed Hatori's brow. They were both experienced shinobi and with one look at Kakashi, they knew he had been in battle.

"We have brought back the spy, Ryuichi from Kumogakure," Kakashi replied.

"Ah, so Yuki picked you." All three of them turned to see Kouyama standing just outside the office. He wasn't as young as most of the ANBU members, and streaks of grey were already starting to show in his shortly cropped black hair. His face bore a few scars and faint wrinkles were beginning to appear, but his eyes were still sharp and demanded obedience. His body was still toned under the uniform and he left no defenceless openings. Kakashi hadn't even felt his presence until he had spoken.

He looked at Kakashi for a few moments and a brief smile flickered in his face. "I should have known," he mumbled, mostly to himself, and then continued in a clipped tone. "Where is he?"

"Outside the building with Banto," Kakashi replied.

"And Yuki and Ryo?"

"Dealing with the pursuers."

Kouyama nodded and then turned to the other two. "Keiji, inform the Hokage-sama and the specialist medics. Hatori, if you could assist me with the spy."

"Hai," they replied, and Keiji quickly took his leave.

"Hatake-kun," Kouyama said, "Thank you for your effort; you are finished with the mission. I expect a report from each of you sometime soon. You may be dismissed."

Kakashi bowed and left the office, heading towards the changing room while Kouyama and Hatori ascended the stairs. The room was empty and Kakashi didn't really know what he was doing in there. He knew he didn't have extra clothes to change into so he decided to wait until getting back to the apartment to take a shower. It was becoming a habit. After every mission, he felt the need to take a shower to wash off the smell of blood. He knew that he couldn't be cleansed, but the metallic smell would cling to his body until the water washed it off. Not that he despised the strange sensation. It brutally reminded him again and again that he had let his closest friend be killed and that he was continuing to take countless of lives.

Kakashi sat down on the wooden benches, lowering the hood of the cloak from his head and stared at his hands. The right still had light traces of dried blood on it. Perhaps it was a warning, reminding him that he couldn't go back to living a normal life. He narrowed his eyes and closed his hand. _Like I didn't know that already_.

He was pulled away from his thoughts when the door opened and Banto walked in yawning. Without a word, he took off his mask and dropped it onto the bench beside Kakashi, then proceeded to pull his robe off. He deposited it on top of the mask, and then flopped down next to it with a sigh.

"I'm tired," he mumbled. Kakashi didn't respond. Banto glanced sidelong at him and shrugged, which caused him to frown. "I forgot about this." He pulled down his shirt to reveal the frosted wound and made a face. "Damn it, it's still frozen," he grumbled. Then with another heavy sigh, he stood up, and grabbing his things, threw them into his locker and headed towards the door.

"Kouyama-san wants a report from each of us," Kakashi said just as Banto reached for the handle.

He groaned. "Fine," he replied nevertheless. "If Captain comes back, tell him I'm defrosting at the hospital."

"Will do."

Banto glanced over his shoulder and saw Kakashi still staring down at the floor. "Take it easy, kid," he called as he stepped out of the room. Kakashi looked up but only saw the door sliding closed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was only two days after Kakashi had returned to the village that he received contact from Yuki. Just as he came back from another mission, a small bird crossed his path under the main Gate. He paused, watching the bird twitter in front of him for a few seconds and then flew away again. His team two team members stopped and looked at him.

"Is something wrong?" one of them asked. He was wearing a deer mask. Kakashi shook his head.

"No. Please head back. I need to meet with someone."

They nodded and left while Kakashi leapt in a different direction. He idly wondered what Yuki wanted. He would have usually just popped up somewhere, regardless of where Kakashi was and what he was doing. It wasn't like Yuki to go through the trouble of sending a message.

Kakashi landed on the designated roof, on top of a building quite close to the Academy. His attention was instantly drawn to Yuki, who was leaning against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in his uniform back the mask was pulled to the side of his head.

"Yo," he greeted casually. Kakashi closed the small distance between them in a few strides but didn't remove his own mask.

"Did you just get back?" he asked dubiously.

Yuki's eyebrow quirked and he chuckled softly. "No, I returned in the afternoon of the day you got back, and Ryo arrived several hours later."

"Oh. Banto told me to tell you that he was defrosting at the hospital."

The Uchiha laughed. "If he could fight as well as he amuses me, he would have made captain years ago," he said. There was suddenly a great deal of noise, mostly laughter and shouts of young children. They both looked down at the front yard of the Academy to see the youngsters spilling out of the school in high spirits. Yuki rested his arms on the railing now and was silent. Kakashi glanced at him, and saw that his eyes were unusually clouded and thoughtful.

"Was there something you wanted from me?" he asked after another few moments of silence, broken only by the noise of the children, the singing birds and the quiet rustle of the breeze.

"Actually, there is," Yuki replied, and he turned around again. "I wanted to know what happened on your way back here with Ryuichi."

Kakashi frowned slightly behind the mask. "I gave my report to Horie-san two days ago," he said. "As the leader of the squad, you have a right to look through it."

"I know, but I wanted to hear it from you, not through a report, in detail." Though he was still a little confused as to what difference it made, Kakashi told him about the events on the way back.

When he was finished, Yuki remained thoughtful for a while longer, gazing at the ground, but then he looked up and nodded. "I see. And there were no other shinobi following you?"

Kakashi locked gazes with Yuki and didn't reply for a few seconds. "None," he said, "to the best of my knowledge." He left the unspoken question hanging in the air, and Yuki was quick to take notice of it. He sighed and leaned back on the railing once again, taking a slightly more casual position.

"Apparently Ryuichi didn't spill a word during his interrogation and torture, and his claim was affirmed by the medics," Yuki explained. "Ryo and Hajime killed three Elites before they split up, I dealt with two, and so did you. I may just be overreacting, but for one reason or another, Kumogakure is becoming hostile towards Konoha over the past two days. It's true that we were never on very good terms with the Cloud since the War, but according to the authorities, they've been acting rather coldly."

"Are the superiors thinking along the same line as you are?" Kakashi inquired.

"That we're responsible for this outcome?" Yuki stated with a shrug. "Some are, most aren't. As Kouyama-san pointed out, 'it is a possibility, but we chose to take the risk in order to save a comrade. Don't worry too much about it.' But I still wanted to look into it, so I called you."

Kakashi waited for him to continue, but he didn't. So he turned to leave but stood still for a moment. Without turning around, he said, "If you need someone to bear the responsibility, I'll volun – "

"Hatake!" Yuki sharply cut him off. He was standing straight now, rare anger flashing in his narrowed eyes. Kakashi half turned subconsciously at the sudden change in tone and met a glare that made him hesitate. He had seen that look in Yuki's eyes a number of times, but he had never been on the receiving end of it before.

"Don't ever say those words again," Yuki said in a quiet voice that radiated a tangible warning. "Not in front of me and not in front of anyone else. Someone who doesn't think twice about his own life isn't going to be able to save anyone. Don't think that everyone will become happy if you throw away your life, Hatake. Understand?"

Kakashi stared at Yuki for a few seconds and then averted his eyes, turning his head away. "Understood," he muttered. Yuki relaxed a little, and watched as Kakashi leapt away and disappeared. His anger died down and was replaced quickly with concern and uneasiness.

"That idiot," he sighed, turning back to watch the last of the children leave the Academy. He recognised one of them and followed the boy with his eyes. Walking alone and sternly unlike the other kids, was the eldest son of Uchiha Fugaku. Yuki sorted through his memory to find the name. _Ah, yes_, he thought, _Itachi_. Among the gossip loving women in the village, there was already a rumour going through that Itachi was a true genius, but Yuki paid little heed to it. In his opinion, young prodigies were only a pain.

He took his eyes off the young boy and leapt away from the roof to his find Banto, just to make sure that his injury was healed. "Besides," he mumbled quietly to himself, "I already have one stubborn genius to take care of; I don't need another."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi was thinking about what Yuki had said as he walked down the streets in his normal Jounin outfit. It was a sunny afternoon with only a few thin streaks of clouds high up in the sky. The villagers were in good spirits, the women shopping and chatting, children running to and fro, and the men relaxing after another day of work. No one paid much attention to Kakashi, and he was completely content with that. _Don't think that everyone will become happy if you throw away your life. _The words rang in his ears as he continued to walk towards his apartment, with his hands in his pockets. But if one life would save the village from being thrown into another war, it was a worthwhile trade. Konoha was finally able to recover from the long years of battles and deaths. There was no need to steal the happiness from the people yet again.

Realising what he had been thinking, Kakashi jerked out of his musings and stopped in his tracks. He shook his head slightly. _What am I now, a hypocrite as well as a world peace preacher?_ he thought mirthlessly. He began to walk again, shifting his concentration to a new technique he intended to master, but he had hardly gone five paces when he abruptly wished he had taken to the roofs.

"Kakashi my Eternal Rival!" Kakashi didn't hesitate and immediately pushed off the ground, leaping into the air and creating as much distance from the green spandex.

Gai screamed when Kakashi disappeared. "How dare he run away! But no, it does not matter, for he is underestimating me today! Today is the day that I will surely win!"

"Come off it, Gai," Yuina said with a sigh. "You're never going to win, even with your skills today."

"I must agree," Jun added off handed. Kakashi glanced back down at the second voice and stopped on a nearby roof. So he had recovered. Yuina looked much healthier than the last time he had seen her as well. Then again, they had been faced with Kirihara at that time. Gai simply looked as thick headed as usual.

Or, that's what he thought until those wide eyes under the thick brows turned and looked directly at him. Kakashi was slightly taken aback. Gai grinned triumphantly and immediately left his team who called him back to no avail. Kakashi sighed and turned to his left where Gai landed with his nose in the air.

"You've finally learned to feel presences," he said in a disinterested monotone. Gai's face twitched visibly.

"What do you mean by _finally_? I've always been able to sense presences!" he shouted crossly, and then added quietly, "It just wasn't up to perfection. But! That is beside the point, Kakashi, my rival. Today, I am faster than any other day you have faced me! The reason behind this is because today I have taken off my training weights in order to defeat you once and for all!"

Kakashi simply looked at him and remained quiet, long enough to make him begin to twitch again. To cover his discomfort, Gai swallowed once and threw back his shoulders in a confident posture.

"Aha! I see through your pretence! You are afraid now that – "

"I hope you know you're an idiot," Kakashi commented, cutting him off immediately and causing his mouth to fall open at the blunt insult. "Who goes off telling an enemy about what they have up their sleeve?"

Gai froze as if suddenly struck by something. He blinked, looking more than a little clumsy and then nodded several times with a serious look crossing his face. "Good point you make there! Just as I expected from my rival!"

Kakashi gave up trying and simply turned around, ready to leave the moron on his own. Ignoring the offending cry, he leapt lightly across the street, landing momentarily on a low roof, and then jumped higher up onto a tall building. He hadn't thought that Gai would follow him, and he wouldn't have been able to catch up in any case. So when the shinobi in question intersected him, Kakashi was surprised. Appearing suddenly in front of him, he was forced to stop on a slanting roof while Gai's grin only grew broader. True, Kakashi had only been using a small fraction of his capable speed, but it was something to be able to cut him off like this.

"Do you feel more in the mood for a duel now, Kakashi?" Gai asked, and then went on when he received no reply. "It's a race to the Memorial; the first one there has the right to throw the first attack!" With that, he was gone and Kakashi blew out another sigh. He hadn't even agreed to this 'duel'. Nevertheless, he shrugged and made his way towards the training grounds, since he had nothing better to do for the rest of the day in any case.

Gai arrived in front of the Memorial slightly out of breath but well warmed up for the upcoming fight. He quickly looked around but saw no sign of his rival. For a few seconds, he triumphed, a joyful cry swelling up into his chest.

"Ye – "

"Took you long enough." Gai's victorious shout died on his lips and he grimaced as he looked up into the trees. There he found Kakashi sitting comfortably on a high branch looking down at him. Kakashi hadn't dared to go too close to the large black stone, in case he drowned himself in his thoughts again. So he had decided to wait in the tree, keeping a safe distance between himself and the Memorial. He was still surprised though, at the time it took Gai to arrive; he had expected to wait another few minutes at the least. Apparently, Gai seemed to have quite some confidence as well, as Kakashi didn't miss the expression of chagrin that was reflected clearly in his face.

"Don't give me that look," he said, and then shrugged. "You can have your 'right to throw the first attack'. Get this over quickly."

Gai frowned at this. "A win is a win, and I lost so – "

"If you aren't coming, then I'm going home," Kakashi said, getting to his feet. He turned, with the full intention of doing what he had said, when Gai seemed to have made up his mind and flew up at him. With a lot of momentum and power, he swung his right leg in a large arc towards Kakashi's head. Kakashi ducked under the foot just before impact and took a few paces backwards until his back touched the tree trunk. Gai landed in front of him, spinning around anti clockwise from the momentum he had gained, and continued to throw his fist at his rival, but it smashed against the tree, causing a light splinter to run along the wood. Kakashi leapt lightly over the attack, landing on a slightly higher branch and waited for Gai. He didn't have to wait long, and then he made his way further up the tree, subtly dodging all the attacks that were thrown at him, occasionally blocking a kick or punch with his hand but never retaliating.

By the time they were balancing on thin, frail branches, Gai was breathing heavily, though his attacks never ceased in speed or strength. He ground his teeth in slight irritation, throwing a left snap kick at Kakashi's chest, which was blocked with his rival's forearm. Using this brief moment, he slipped out a kunai, and while he regained his posture, he flung the weapon in an almost vertical angle up at Kakashi's face.

"Are you only going to run, Kakashi?" he shouted. "Why don't you fight back?"

Kakashi didn't reply and jerked his head back, the kunai flying past a few centimetres from his chin. Gai immediately took the chance of knocking Kakashi off his feet in his current, unbalanced position, swinging his leg in a low arc. Kakashi allowed his weight to fall backwards, but he leaned to the left and pushed off the branch with his feet. Once Gai's foot past underneath, Kakashi supported his weight with his hands and swiftly extended his right leg with a snap, catching Gai full in the chest.

"Attacks are too straight forward," Kakashi said. Gai gasped, the breath knocked clean from his lungs and he lost his footing on the fragile branch. He fell a few metres before finding support beneath his feet, and despite the throbbing pain in his torso, he quickly looked up, looking for his opponent.

"Your back is left too vulnerable." Gai spun around at the voice, and he only saw a blurred kick heading straight for his face, which he barely blocked with both arms. Kakashi landed in front of him for a second and then was gone again. Gai's eyes widened and he backed up against the trunk, searching furiously for any hint of where Kakashi could be.

"I thought you learned how to feel presences. Or is the blindfold exercise not working?" Gai flinched when he heard the voice so close by. He looked to his left and found Kakashi with his hands in his pocket, standing on a lower branch, his head right by Gai's foot. Gai gathered his concentration and strength, pushing roughly away from the tree and leaping up with all the speed he could gather. He needed to think of a plan to get Kakashi. There wasn't any other way to defeat the genius. If he could recover some of his stamina and lure his rival into a well thought trap –

"You've gotten faster; I'll give you that. But if your movements and behaviour are predictable, speed is useless." His thoughts were cut off by Kakashi's voice and he quickly stopped, looking up to see the other leaping down towards him. Kakashi's hand slipped down to the weapons holster and was already drawing out a kunai when his mind abruptly stopped the instinctive act._ That_ _wasn't instinctive; that was reflex_. He narrowed his eye at the whispered thought, pushing it away for the moment since he was going to crash into Gai if he didn't do something. Quickly he raised his fist and swung it down at the last moment. But even before it hit, Kakashi's eye widened a little when he saw Gai going through a set of seals. He knew straight away what technique it was due to its simplicity, but as far as he knew, Gai had close to nothing on chakra control and ninjutsu skill.

The moment Kakashi struck Gai, he turned into a dry piece of log and Kakashi stopped on a branch. The kawarimi dropped down to the forest floor while he searched for the other's presence. It didn't take him long to find it, since Gai had no talent with secrecy. Turning around, he glanced towards the place where he should be and had to refrain from twitching. One didn't need to be able to feel presences to identify where Gai was hidden. Along a thin branch full of healthy green leafs grew a happy yellow poppy.

Kakashi didn't keep his eyes on it for very long. He jumped lightly off the branch and straight over the flower, landing in an area that wouldn't be seen by Gai's field of vision. Once there, he flicked through a quick set of seals. Gai laughed in his head_. Yes! I have finally deceived my Eternal Rival, Hatake Kakashi! My disguise is perfect! No one can detect me!_

Or so he thought until Kakashi finished the last seal. _Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu_. Only a very thin stream of fire was emitted, which completely engulfed the flower. Kakashi watched as it turned into a small puff of smoke and out of it came Gai screaming, parts of his bowl cut hair housing tufts of flame.

"On a final note, your standard skills as a shinobi are as bad as or worse than a genin," Kakashi said. To himself, he idly wondered when Gai had mastered the use of even the most basic ninjutsu in battle.

Gai slumped against the tree, having finally put the fire out, and hung his head. Kakashi watched him for a few seconds and then turned to leave him alone when he spoke up. "My rival! The next time we meet, I will most definitely defeat you! I shall be able to keep my back protected and feel every presence around me without my eyes and…"

Kakashi blocked out the rest of the drabble and simply waved his hand over his shoulder. "Hai hai, good luck," he muttered, and then disappeared.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Exams are finished and I'm into my two month summer holiday! Wee! I hope to be able to write a lot during that time, but we'll see. As a welcome back gift, I made the chapter a little longer than normal.

Hope you all enjoyed!

.LinSetsu.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen: **

Kakashi was already awake when the little bird fluttered its wings against his window. He had been dreaming. He didn't remember everything, but there had been the smell of grass, a blue sky, laughter and someone calling him. Only to be smeared red by what he assumed to be blood.

He rubbed his hand across his forehead and then sat up, turning around to see the bird patiently cleaning itself. It was still dark outside, and when he glanced at the clock, he found it to be a little past four in the morning. It wasn't unusual for a mission to start at this time, which was the reason for the delivery bird. Kakashi tapped the glass lightly to let the animal know he had received the message and then quickly got out of bed and began to change. As he slipped into his shoes, adjusting the hitai-ate over the Sharingan, he glanced around the room and his eyes fell almost automatically on the picture near his bed. His team grinned happily back at him. Kakashi turned and closed the door behind him with a little more force than was necessary.

Although spring was giving way to summer, the early air was still cool and the occasional breeze somewhat sharp against the skin. Kakashi walked down the street his apartment was located and was about to jump up onto the roofs when a sudden noise drew his attention. A pile of empty wooden crates crashed onto the ground in the alley to his right, which was caused by a man who was swaying on his feet. _A drunk_, Kakashi thought with no interest, and leapt away without another look. He didn't notice that the alcohol ridden man looked up at him and watched him disappear over the roofs through unfocused, half lidded eyes.

Kakashi came out of the changing room in his uniform with the canine mask in his hand. Walking further down the hall, he found the door to the main office open. Horie sat as usual behind the desk, already sorting through the mountain of papers and scrolls that consisted of both reports and requests. He glanced up from a scroll when he saw Kakashi at the doorway and then went back to reading.

"Debriefing room Three; Kouyama-san's waiting for you," he said. Kakashi merely nodded and left, going back the way he had come, and then turning down another corridor before the changing rooms. Doors lined the walls at uneven intervals with no label on any of them. Kakashi walked past a few of them before stopping and stepping into a small room with only a dozen chairs lined behind two long desks. The rooms varied in size, some even smaller than room Three and others large enough to fit the entire ANBU if necessary. Kouyama stood at the front of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest. He looked up as Kakashi entered and nodded. Kakashi bowed once and waited for orders.

"Take a seat," Kouyama said. "We may have to be patient for a little while."

"Hai," Kakashi replied, and sat down at the end of the long table, placing the mask on the surface and resting his arms beside it. Kouyama remained standing and when Kakashi glanced once at him, he noticed the scroll that his superior held. He dropped his eyes and waited in silence. Long minutes past and neither of them moved or said a word.

When roughly fifteen minutes went by, there was a knock on the door and a female ANBU stepped in. Without a glance at Kakashi, she turned to face Kouyama.

"We have finally received a confirmation from him," she said in a deep, stern voice from behind a hawk's mask. "I do not know how long it will take him to reach here."

Kouyama nodded. "He will come. Thank you." The kunoichi bowed and then hesitated. Kouyama turned his head to look at her when she did not immediately leave. "Is there something?"

"Is it really wise to send him on this mission, Kouyama-san?" she asked and there was uncertainly in her voice now. "It is of high value and with him in his current condition…"

"His skills and knowledge are necessary for this mission. There can be no replacement. Tell him we are in here once he arrives and give him some water on the way."

"Hai," she responded, sensing the end of the discussion, and briskly left the room.

It was another ten minutes before the door opened again and Kakashi had to consciously keep his surprise hidden behind a passive façade. The shinobi that walked in was the drunken man he had seen in the streets earlier. He was still in civilian clothing and soaking wet, water dripping from his brown hair, but it was clear that the alcohol hadn't yet left his system. He looked sidelong at Kakashi and then at Kouyama, then leaned heavily against the doorframe.

"Geez, I get summoned so early in the morning and then they dump a bucket of water on me the moment I arrive," he grumbled with a slight slur. "'There something you want from me, Kouyama-san?"

"A mission," Kouyama said, pushing away from the wall and allowing his hands to drop down to his sides. "If you would take a seat."

"Mission?" the man mumbled, and then smiled without much mirth. "I don't understand what you mean, Kouyama-san. I told you before in case you forgot: I quit the ANBU."

"I have not yet received a formal resignation paper," Kouyama responded calmly. "I only remember you barging into my office during the middle of the night several days, roaring drunk, and declaring you quit. Sit down, Saiji."

The man narrowed his eyes at Kouyama, who met the glower with a serious expression that was backed up with cold demand. The drunk ground his teeth in unconcealed annoyance but averted his gaze and pulled his hands through his wet hair, taking most of it out of his eyes. He roughly pushed away from the door and sat down three chairs away from Kakashi.

Kouyama looked at them both for a brief moment and then began. "For this mission I will have you two, Toyoaki Saiji and Hatake Kakashi pair up. It will take place in Snow Country, which is small and to a certain extent, peaceful. The current lord, Kazahana Sousetsu has, however, been recently seeing strange movements within the country and the castle, and fears a revolt taking place in the near future. Kazahana Soutetsu is the client for this mission, and he says that though he will try to settle the uprising by all means, he wishes to hire several shinobi who will guard his daughter, Princess Koyuki and take her to safety if anything were to happen to him."

"A possibility of a revolt?" Saiji muttered. "The client wants to hire bodyguards for a situation that may not even rise. Why would you give such a mission to the ANBU? A bunch of Chuunin would be enough."

Kouyama shook his head and said, "I have looked into this mission in detail, and yes, I have considered giving it back to the Mission Office. However, once researched, results show that there are unusual activities among the shinobi of the Snow Country. The Yuki-nin who are abroad are being called back regardless of the stage or situation of their individual missions, while none are being sent out again. Then again, their village isn't under any sort of threat. There is a high possibility that they are planning something that is related to the revolt that Soutetsu guessed."

"Do you want us to stop the revolt or simply protect the princess?" Kakashi inquired.

"Based on the situation of your arrival, you decide," Kouyama replied. "But if anything happens, the first priority is to bring the princess to safety."

Saiji sighed and scratched his neck distractedly. "Kouyama-san, could you not give this mission to someone – "

"I cannot," came the unmoving answer. "There is no reason for me to allow you an excuse; your skills are still sharp and your body still healthy, once you get rid of all the alcohol. You can hand in your resignation paper once you get back." Saiji made a face. "This is an order, Toyoaki Saiji."

Kakashi thought he might argue further, but Saiji was not enough of an idiot to try and retaliate against an order from someone like Kouyama Shuuji. Lowering, his eyes, he nodded and mumbled, "Hai."

Kouyama stepped towards them and placed the scroll he had been holding onto the desk between them. Kakashi assumed it to be the mission details. "Saiji, this mission cannot succeed without your knowledge and experience of the Snow Country, and your skills are not easily matched even by members of the ANBU. Thank you for accepting a last mission.

"Hatake, I chose you for the second member for several reasons, one of them being the speed of your growth ever since you entered the ANBU. I have reason to believe that Yuki did not just pick you for the Cloud mission because he happened to see you. I expect some good results from you."

"Hai," Kakashi said.

Their superior looked at both of them and nodded a final time. "I'll leave the rest of the preparations up to you. Leave the village by sunrise." With that said, he turned and walked out of the briefing room, leaving the two in silence.

Saiji was the first to break it. With a curse, he stood up, almost knocking the chair over, and slammed a fist angrily onto the table. "That damned geezer!" he seethed.

"I don't mind if you're angry," Kakashi said, "but please remember that a mission is a mission."

Saiji turned to look at him, the aggression still present in his eyes, and then walked towards the door. "Fine," he breathed, and then raised his voice again. "Fine! Once the mission is accomplished, everyone's happy go lucky! I'll see you at the Northern Gate in half an hour." After almost spitting out the last part, he slammed the door shut behind him.

Kakashi simply looked on from the corner of his eye and sighed once Saiji's heavy footsteps died down. He had his doubts about the other's capabilities, but he wasn't interested enough to stick his head into any investigations. He had a feeling that no one in the ANBU was actually, truly sane. He picked up the scroll that Saiji had left untouched, and left the room as well. He walked down the hallway and into the changing room, and was not surprised when he found it empty.

He retrieved his black robe and katana from his locker and left the Hakkou Chakra Tou behind after a second of consideration. Without seeing anyone else, he left the Headquarters and made his way directly to the designated Gate, pulling the robe over himself while running over the roofs. He arrived in a few minutes and still found the tall wooden gates shut. It would still be another twenty minutes or so until Saiji arrived, so he hid in the shadows of the Village wall and waited, using the time to read through the details of the mission from the scroll.

In it, he found all the material that Kouyama had told them, along with the brief history of the Snow Country and the shinobi in that area, their relationship over the year, the background of several important figures, and the researched recent movements of the Snow ninjas. He also found a copy of the original request made by Kazahana Sousetsu and a few additional notes and comments from Kouyama.

He was reading through the scribbled comments when Saiji arrived, the robe held in his hand and trailing on the ground, and his mask pulled to the side of his head. In his other hand, he was holding a flask of sake, and he seemed in much higher spirits than when Kakashi had last seen him. When he drew nearer, Kakashi was once again not surprised to find him smelling strongly of fresh alcohol. He frowned under his mask but said nothing. _At least he had the decency to change into the uniform_, he thought.

"Well then, let's go," Saiji said, swaying to the side, and it looked as if he would topple over onto the ground, but he leapt up onto the watch bridge above the Gate and landed almost firmly on both feet. Kakashi, beginning to have serious doubts about his partner, followed him up. The Chuunin guard sat leaning against the low wall with his head drooped over his chest, clearly sleeping.

Saiji grinned, pulled his mask on properly and knelt in front of the guard, who he shook awake. The Chuunin bolted upright with wide eyes when the first thing he saw was the intimidating animal mask of the elite ANBU.

"I…I'm incredibly sorry for this inexcusable…act of – " he spluttered wildly, his eyes darting between Saiji and Kakashi. He paused when he noticed the sake bottle but he bit his lip and stood stiffly.

"Say, we'll promise keep it a secret that you fell sound asleep during your watch duty," Saiji said calmly, straightening, "if you promise to write down that the two ANBU, the boar and the dog, left the Village before sunrise. And if you're asked, we left nice and sober. Can we strike that deal, hm?"

The Chuunin nodded immediately. "O…Of course, sir!" he stuttered.

"Good. Have a nice day," Saiji purred, and then leapt down the other side. Kakashi's frown deepened as he jumped down and followed Saiji, ignoring the Chuunin's curious eyes on them. Saiji headed straight north at a leisurely pace, taking a sip of sake now and again, and completely ignoring Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't mind being ignored; he even preferred it that way. What irritated him was Saiji's attitude. He was in no way focused, one could tell that he wasn't concentrated at all with just one glance, and the consumption of alcohol was strictly forbidden during mission. That wasn't just for the ANBU, but for every shinobi in the village.

After an hour of travelling, with the pace dropping steadily for the last twenty odd minutes, Kakashi leapt alongside Saiji. "The pace is dropping," he stated simply. Saiji glanced at him and shrugged. Kakashi suppressed the urge to sigh. "Where are we heading in any case?"

"To the sea," Saiji replied. "The only way we can get the Snow Country is with a ship."

"You've been there before, I assume?"

"Three or four years ago on a mission."

They both fell silent after that, and Saiji took another mouthful of liquor. He increased the pace a little after that, but it barely lasted an hour. The sun rose, promising another sunny day though a few clouds floated here and there. Kakashi's frustration rose every few minutes, though he tried to restrain it, reasoning that it would be foolish to start a fight or go against his senior. He seemed to know where he was headed to at the very least.

However, even a shinobi's patience ran out eventually. After around four hours of travelling, their pace had dropped to one that would be appropriate for a team of Genin. Saiji's footing was becoming increasingly unsteady and he began to talk to himself, quietly at first, a faint muttering behind the mask, but the volume rose to almost shouting before long. Animals, that would usually not stir when the ANBU passed, were now busy scurrying away up the trees when they heard the noise.

When Saiji paused briefly on a branch, lifting the clay, oval flask to his lips, Kakashi leapt passed him, pulling out a kunai and flicking it at his partner in quick succession without hesitation or a warning. Saiji jerked his head at the sudden movement, but could not do anything to stop the weapon that sliced through the short string that he held, which was tied around the opening of the bottle. The flask fell from his hand and shattered against the tree, the rest of the contents spilling onto the lower branches.

After a second's pause, Saiji spun around towards him, his flushed face contorted into an expression of what should have been fury, but to him, it only looked like a drunken, half focused sneer. Kakashi stood on the same branch and stared back at him through his mask.

"You sonuvabitch!" Saiji snarled, the latter word becoming horribly slurred. He took a step forward, his hands clenched at his sides.

"It just shows that you cannot even avoid such a simple attack," Kakashi said. "This is a mission. It would be wiser to keep away from alcohol."

Saiji grabbed a handful of Kakashi's robe at his neck and pulled him roughly forward and slightly upwards. Standing together, Saiji was still a head or so taller than Kakashi. But he did nothing to resist him. The stench of alcohol filled his nose at this close distance. "Is a naïve, blue assed brat trying to _lecture _me on how I should behave on missions?" he hissed.

"No. I just wanted to remind you, in case you had forgotten."

Saiji shoved him away and adjusted him mask over his face once again, then pulled his robe on more properly over his shoulders. "As if you'd know anything," he grumbled sourly, and Kakashi could still feel the cold anger radiating from his body. It did little to affect him though, and he could only hope that with the loss of alcohol, Saiji's common sense might return.

"Since it's come up," Saiji continued, raising the hood over his head and turning to face Kakashi again, "let me tell you that I have no intention on taking part in this mission. I'd be damned if I bent my will for the sake of the bastard, Kouyama, again. So I'll get you there and even hang around until you get the job over with, but you'll be doing the work. Have any objections?"

"None," Kakashi replied without hesitation. Working alone suited him just fine. In any case, it was much better than having to team up with a drunken man. They stared at each other for a few moments longer, and then continued on their way. Saiji was still quite mad and didn't bother concealing it. Kakashi simply ignored the thick air of anger and struck a pace that he was satisfied with.

And whatever was going through Saiji's mind, the phrase, "Arrogant little son of bitch" floated through the air more than a few times during the next several hours, only to be followed by a frustrated curse when it was promptly ignored.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Hmm…was the wait long? If yes, sorry. I couldn't quite get the relationship between these two the way I wanted it. heh.

Oh, and the mentioning of a blue ass...it's used in Japan to refer to children with 'blue bottoms'. I guess it means that they haven't experienced alot, and that they are 'ripe' yet. I'm not quite sure myself. (shrugs)

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed, and thank you all for reading!

.LinSetsu.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen: **

The town that they arrived at was located in the large gulf, west of the Lightning Country. Though it was surrounded by several different countries, the town itself was independent of these. It made a living by offering sea transport to almost every other island, and also by selling a variety of fish that they caught. The town, though it had a name of old, was simply known as The Port.

Kakashi and Saiji arrived at the town well after sunset, but the town was still very much alive, all the buildings and streets illuminated by lights. Behind the town, the sea was dark and stretched out as far as they could see. But the port was lit up, revealing all types of ships, ranging from large transport cruisers to small, local fishing boats.

The two shinobi paused on the large hilltop and watched the town for a moment. It was only another several hundred metres of a sloping field until they reached the first houses. Although it wasn't exactly a valley, the town was flanked on the west side by a towering cliff, and on the other two sides were shallow slopes of grass with only a few lone boulders.

Saiji stretched his arms over his head. "We've finally arrived," he sighed.

"It's only a midway point," Kakashi reminded. "There's still a long way to the Snow Country."

Saiji shrugged, waving the topic away. "The next ship will only leave in the morning. You can go get us a ticket. We'll spend the night here." He brought his hands together and performed a quick Henge, transforming himself to look like a normal traveller.

"Everything should be closed by this hour," Kakashi said.

"They go night fishing during this season for octopus," Saiji replied. "Go to the port and you'll find something. Once you get the time, come and tell me." Without waiting for a response, he leapt away, disappearing into the darkness. Kakashi watched him leave and wondered if he should follow, considering that he didn't know where Saiji was headed and what he intended to do during the night. But the thought of having to track him down wasn't the most appealing. He had an idea of where Saiji would go in any case.

So Kakashi continued on his way to the town, disguising himself as a traveller as he went. Just before entering, he returned to the road and walked into the streets. There were more people than he had imagined, even children running around in laughter. They glanced at him as he passed by, but there was no hostility in their eyes; only a casual curiosity that didn't evoke any second thoughts. Aside from the quick looks, the people continued with what they were doing.

He found his way to the port without much problem and watched the activity of the fishermen for a few moments from the sidelines. Just as Saiji had said, they were still very busy, hauling nets and fish and buckets to and from the boats. Some men were shouting at each other from their ships in what seemed like normal conversations, while others were laughing from jokes or stories and he also heard loud, singing voices from somewhere. He drew his attention away from the occupied men and searched for a place that may look like it would be selling tickets. Finally, his eyes fell on a two story building, where the upper window glowed from the light inside and he glimpsed a man shuffling through papers before disappearing from his view again.

As Kakashi approached the building, he found that the first floor was something similar to a shed, the front doors swung wide open, and several smaller boats were docked there. Three men were hovering around them, apparently repairing them, tinkering with bits and pieces. Kakashi found a staircase at the back of the building and climbed the metal steps. The door to the office was open and when he glanced inside, he saw a man dressed in black trousers and a crumpled white shirt, who was busy digging his way inside a cabinet next to the wide windows. Kakashi knocked lightly on the open door.

The man looked up quickly and smiled pleasantly. "Hello! I'll be with you in a second. Please take a seat." He motioned to the two chairs in front of the desk with a hand that was stuffed full with documents. Then his head was lost in the cabinet, though his quiet, non coherent mutterings could still be heard. Kakashi walked across the room to the desk but didn't sit down. Instead, he looked out at the view he had of the docks, where many of the fishermen were getting ready to leave for the sea once again. Most of what he saw were long, narrow fishing boats, and only one or two ships seemed fit to travel any long distance.

While he was looking at the port, the man untangled himself from a long chain of papers and walked around behind the desk. He extended his hand, which Kakashi shook, and both of them sat down.

"My name is Ado Shizuma and I'm what you could call the Office of this dock that you see behind me," the man said with a smile. "I see you are in the middle of your travels. How can we help you?"

"I'm looking for a ship that can take us to the Snow Country," Kakashi said.

"Ah yes. Although there won't be any more leaving tonight, the next one will be ready at eight thirty tomorrow morning. It will depart at nine o'clock from Dock Eleven. Would you like to reserve a seat?"

"Yes, for two," Kakashi replied.

Ado nodded, pulling out two very small scrolls and spreading them open on the table. He filled out several of the blank lines, checking a large list once for the ship's confirmation number. "Could I have your names, please?" he asked, glancing up from the up until now identical scrolls.

"Suzuki Satoru and Yoshida Hatori."

"And you are…?" Ado asked after writing down both names. Kakashi looked at him for a moment, and he quickly added, "Just out of curiosity's sake. I prefer to know who I'm talking to, after all." He smiled again.

"Satoru," Kakashi said.

"Well then, here you are," Ado said, turning the scrolls around so that Kakashi could see them. "The boarding and departure times are written here, along with the dock number, in case you forget. It will be an overnight voyage, and you will arrive at eight o'clock in the morning the next day in Snow Country. I hope it was alright that I put both of you in one room."

"That's no problem," he reassured, though he was sure that Saiji would complain about it once he found out.

"Splendid. The room number is as written. All meals will be provided and the costs are included. Is there anything else you would like?"

"No, thank you."

Ado summed up the costs and Kakashi paid for the tickets. At the back of his mind, he idly wondered why it was even necessary for them to formally get tickets in the first place. It wouldn't be hard for them to slip inside the cargo and avoid leaving any evidence of having travelled to Snow Country. Then again, he was sure that Saiji would bring up the reason that it wasn't their money in the first place; it belonged to the ANBU. He assumed that Saiji just wanted to relax.

After parting with Ado, Kakashi left the port behind and walked into the town once again. There was still a fairly large amount of people, and after thinking about it for a few moments, he realised that this town was very much like Konoha. Of course, the people were dressed differently and the children weren't playing games of 'pretend to be the great shinobi so-and-so', but the atmosphere was somewhat similar. Food stands were open on the sides of the streets along with restaurants and bars. Most normal shops were closed, but young women and men who weren't out at sea were enjoying the evening, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Occasionally, there were middle aged men, roaring drunk and zigzagging along the street.

He walked around the buildings and streets for a little while, getting to know the area and automatically forming a mental map of the town in his head. As he went around, he entered a few bars, asking the master whether he had seen a blond haired man with a ponytail in travelling clothes, looking unshaven and wearing a gold medallion around his neck. Kakashi didn't know why Saiji had to disguise himself like that, which would only bring more attention to him. But he was saved from the trouble of searching through the whole town.

In the fourth one he tried, the bartender told him that he had served that man.

"He came around twenty minutes ago and ordered a glass of beer," he said. "Then he said something like 'it's not working' and he bought a full bottle of sake. He paid for it and asked if I knew of a place to stay for the night, so I gave him the name and location of a hotel that a friend of mine runs."

"Which one is that?" Kakashi asked.

"The Blue Whale," he replied. "It's two streets down from here and difficult to miss since the there's a big banner with a picture of a whale. Are you a friend of this man?"

"We're travelling together, but he ran off into the town without telling me where he was going," Kakashi said, telling the truth.

"Oh right. Well, he was in a bit of a bad mood, so I'd be careful."

Kakashi thanked the master and left, walking across the two streets as he was told. Indeed, in the middle of the street there was a large whale banner with the name written across the entrance. The women at the front desk nodded at the description he gave of Saiji's disguise and gave him a room number on the second floor.

He knocked on the door to room 227 and received a gruff bark for a response. Taking it as an 'alright' to come in, he opened the door and found Saiji sprawled on the bed without his henge. His left arm was draped over his face and his right was outstretched off the bed his hand holding the sake bottle by its neck. The room was pretty small and the bed was in the far corner, Saiji's feet pointing towards the door. He pulled his left arm down a little and lifted his head to look at Kakashi with alcohol ridden eyes.

"The ship leaves at nine in the morning from Dock Eleven," Kakashi said, tossing him one of the small scrolls. He stopped it with his free hand, but his fingers didn't hold it in place and it dropped onto his chest.

"Aight," Saiji mumbled. When he saw the frown on Kakashi's face, he noticed that it was directly at his sake. He groaned ill-temperedly and covered his eyes again. "I'm a bloody alcoholic, kid. Thanks to you I've been experiencing withdrawal symptoms the whole day, god dammit. Leave me alone."

Kakashi almost rolled his eyes at the exaggeration. He had the urge to once again shatter the bottle, but he turned and left instead. He really didn't understand why Kouyama had sent the drunk. He didn't know Saiji's past and what he had accomplished in the ANBU, but the man was in no shape to be doing any missions in his current condition. He may have all the information and knowledge one needed of the Snow Country, but it wasn't something that they would really need to worry about. It wasn't a large country as far as the details told him and they could study it while doing the mission. Even just then, Saiji hadn't even bothered to keep his disguise up or perhaps he hadn't even noticed that it had disappeared at all.

If anyone else walked in on him –

Kakashi stopped both his thoughts and his movements. He stood just outside the entrance to the inn and he frowned a little in thought. What if it were the opposite? _If he had known it was me in front of the door_. If Kouyama-san had sent him more for his combat skills than his actual knowledge; if the alcohol wasn't really getting the better of him. It couldn't be, could it? Kakashi slowly turned around and looked up at the second floor to the room which Saiji occupied. The lights were already turned off.

With contradicting thoughts still present on his mind, Kakashi walked away and looked for a place to spend the night a little distance outside the town.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Saiji arrived two minutes before the ship departed. Kakashi had already been halfway through discarding most of the second thoughts he had had about his partner the night before. Another quarter went down the drain when he saw that Saiji held several shopping bags. They quickly boarded the ship and the ramp was pulled away the moment they stepped off of it. The ship wasn't very large and there were only a handful of customers. There was a cafeteria on the middle of the deck, and above that was the cockpit. Below the deck was a floor for the rooms.

Saiji motioned for Kakashi to follow him and they descended the stairs and found their designated room. It was very simple, with two beds on either side of the narrow rooms and a small table between them, pushed against the wall under a round window that looked out on the waves. Saiji sat down on the left bunk and sorted through the bags he had. Kakashi closed the door and turned around, his annoyance seething into his expression.

"Don't tell me you went alcohol shopping from the morning, almost missing the ship," he said with more than just exasperation in his quiet voice. Saiji didn't reply and Kakashi narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards him. Saiji looked up and threw a paper bag at him. Kakashi caught it and glanced inside to find simple clothes. He frowned, more in confusion than irritation now.

"What – "

"Did you plan to spend the whole trip disguised in a henge?" Saiji asked, releasing the simple jutsu and returning to his ANBU uniform, robe and mask. He took the mask and robe off and began to undo all the light metal armour on the uniform. He glanced at Kakashi to see him still standing there, not quite understanding.

"You did, huh?" Saiji muttered, going back to changing. "It's a waste of chakra, especially when you can just buy some normal clothes and a wig. Or else you're going to be stuck in a situation where you need more chakra, but oh wait, you just spent it all by keeping a henge up for 24 hours. Just change, brat."

Kakashi sighed quietly, dropped the bag on his bed and did as he was told. It made sense, although he doubted that one could spend so much chakra with just a henge. He released the disguise and began to change.

"I thought you were of the opinion that nothing would happen," he said, pulling on a long sleeved shirt.

"I still am," came the reply, "but if by any chance, something does happen, I can't be bothered with writing a report about your death."

_And you mean mine, not yours? _Kakashi thought to himself, fixing a brown wig over his silver hair and an eye patch over the Sharingan. He pulled out the last two items in the bag. One was a medical mask, not unlike the ones surgeons wore over their mouths and noses during an operation. It was actually a more casual type, usually worn when a person had a cold and wanted to refrain from spreading any germs (1). He was just glad that Yuki and Gai weren't there to see him like this.

The last piece of clothing was a yellow scarf and he blinked at it.

"It's cold up there," Saiji said, having noticed that Kakashi was confused once again. "While we'll be kept warm with the robes when we aren't doing anything, once you take that off, you'll need something to keep your body temperature from falling. A scarf's the best solution."

Kakashi shrugged and placed it on top of his folded uniform. There were other things he wanted to think about at that moment.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The day went by uneventfully on the ship and night found Kakashi sitting on his bunk with his back leaning against the wall. He had one leg drawn up, with his elbow resting on it, and the other was stretched out. He was staring at the bed sheets, though his eye wasn't looking at it. It was so adjusted to the darkness inside the unlit room that when the door opened, he had to raise his hand to his eye to block out the bright lamps out in the corridor.

Saiji walked in and closed the door again but didn't turn on the light. Though he didn't seem to be very drunk, Kakashi still noticed a faint, lingering smell of alcohol. Saiji made his way to his bed and collapsed onto it face down and didn't move after that. The two of them remained in silence for another twenty odd minutes.

It was Kakashi who broke the silence. "Saiji," he said.

When he received no reply for several seconds, he thought that the other might have already gone to sleep. But then he heard a response, muffled by the pillow. "Calling me without even a slight honorific already?"

Kakashi's eye twitched a little. "Toyoaki-san – " he ground out but was cut off before he could go on.

"Too formal."

He sighed and tried another way. "Saiji-san." He didn't bother trying to continue the sentence.

"Sounds stupid."

"There's nothing else unless you want me to call you 'Toyoaki-sama' or 'Saiji-sama'."

"Nah, don't do that; gives me goosebumps."

"This isn't what I wanted to ask, Sai-jii(2)," Kakashi growled.

Saiji snorted into the pillow, but seemed to, surprisingly, accept the name. He rolled onto his side with his back facing his room mate and cushioned his head with his arm. "What do you want then, Pochi(3)?"

"Pochi?" Kakashi repeated a little uncertainly.

"That's right. You're nothing more than a sulking pup," Saiji said. "Now what is it?"

Kakashi left the queer naming alone at the moment. He didn't reply right away and paused to think of the best way to phrase it. There wasn't much choice, and they all sounded foolish. "Who are you exactly?" he asked.

"Toyoaki Saiji," came the prompt answer. "Also known as Sai-jii by some overconfident brats."

_I thought he would say that_, Kakashi grumbled silently. "Yesterday morning when I saw you on the streets you were already drunk from the night before. Then you continued to drink when we left Konoha, before I broke the bottle. By then you should have had a lot of alcohol in your system but when I increased the pace after that you kept up with me without any trouble. A normal drunken man wouldn't have been able to do that. That's one reason why I'm asking. There are others, like the time at the inn and even this morning with these clothes. You act like you aren't registering anything that goes around you, but you know everything that's happened. You look like you couldn't care less about the mission and yet you're still very focused on it. The only way I can ask you is: who are you?"

Saiji chuckled but it was dry and even a bit bitter. "If a shinobi could feel better just by drowning himself in alcohol, then the life of a ninja wouldn't be so damn hard," he said. Then his tone changed, turning serious and sombre. "I was an avenger."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Yay! Another chapter finished! Kakashi's pretty talkative, don't you think? Oh well. He's curious, I guess.

(1) Ah yes, the mask. I don't quite know how to explain this. In Japan, there are cotton (I think), rectangular masks that go over the nose and mouth. They use it when they have a cold and cough a lot. So then other people wouldn't be infected as well. And surgeons often wear something similar.

(2) Sai-jii: It's just playing with Saiji's name. 'Jii' is short for 'Jii-san', which means 'grandpa'. Sometimes, like in this context, it isn't very friendly and respectable, especially since Saiji isn't quite old enough to be called grandpa.

(3) Pochi. I was really struggling for a name for Kakashi and thanks to the anime "Whistle" I finally decided on this one. It's a very common name for dogs in Japan. Pochi for a dog and Tama for a cat. Fits Kakashi, no?

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed!  
Thanks, as always, for reading everyone!

.LinSetsu.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen: **

"'Was'?" Kakashi asked.

Saiji was silent for a while before he said anything. "I killed him around two weeks ago. Since then, I'm nothing but an alcoholic. A shinobi can't forget about his past by just drinking, but it doesn't stop us from trying, does it? That's what I've been doing since then. I thought it might help me think about what I could do from now, but in the end, it just made me not only want to quit the ANBU, but also a Konoha ninja. So to answer your question, I'm a former avenger who has now lost his meaning to live."

For a moment, Kakashi thought he knew how Saiji felt. He had also felt that same way after Obito had died, before he had noticed that getting stronger was the only goal he could come up with. He also remembered Yuki telling him about shinobi who based their life on revenge and becoming nothing once it was fulfilled.

"Didn't you feel like taking revenge?"

Kakashi looked across to Saiji at the sudden question. "You know?" he asked, referring to his past.

Saiji snorted again. "I don't think there are any captains who _don't_."

"You were a captain?"

"Don't avoid the question; yes I had my own squad," Saiji said. Kakashi had to think back to his memories of his encounter with Orochimaru and his escape from the snake's lair. They were mostly blurred, due to his white rage and then the pain and blood loss. It wasn't something he liked to remember, but he was often forced back to those agonising hours in his dreams.

"I did," he replied, "at the time. It was the only reason that got me back to the Village alive. But after my recovery, just the word 'revenge' sounded stupid."

"Stupid, eh?" Saiji chuckled. "You were right. Revenge is completely stupid and avengers are even more idiotic. But it's easy to grasp onto the idea of revenge and it makes everything so damn simple."

"Is that why you became stronger?"

"Yeah." There was a long pause, and Kakashi thought that the conversation was over. Then Saiji spoke again. "My parents were killed in the war when I was thirteen, and the only other relative I had was my older twin sister. She got a boyfriend two years after our parents' death, who was several years her senior and was also a Jounin. She loved him and I trusted him as an older brother. But when we were seventeen, he betrayed us and the Village. He had been a spy from the Hidden Mist and he killed my sister when the three of us were on a mission that almost revealed his cover. Two ANBU, who were already on his tail, stopped him from killing me and went to kill him. But from what I heard later, they were ambushed by the Mists and never came back. Since then, I based my life on achieving the strength necessary to kill him.

"I encountered him on a mission two weeks ago, and though it wasn't a part of our task, I fought him and won. On the ground on his knees with my sword tipped against his neck, he begged." Saiji's voice grew cold and malicious. "He begged to be spared and reasoned that he had truly loved my sister. He blamed the war and claimed that he was innocent. Innocent! The sick bastard!" He snarled and struck the wall with his left fist.

"It makes me disgusted just talking about it," he growled. "Ten years of waiting for that moment and he begs! I killed him before he could say another word."

"I see," was all Kakashi could come up with to say. He didn't think Saiji wanted to be reassured about anything, and in the first place, he didn't even know _how_ to reassure someone.

"So you've heard about me, it's your turn now," Saiji said suddenly. Kakashi hadn't expected him to speak again so was caught off guard.

"My turn?" he muttered.

"That's right. You asked me a question so I have a right to ask you one back. It's fair, isn't it?"

"I suppose. What do you want to know?"

Saiji turned around and faced Kakashi for the first time. "Let's hear about the Sharingan."

"What about it?"

"The rumours, of course," Saiji said, as if it were obvious. "Is it true that you fought Uchiha Izumi on the matter of keeping the eye?"

"No," Kakashi replied. "Some of the other Uchihas seemed to want to, but it never happened."

Saiji laughed briefly. "Then what about the one saying that you've started to master some of the abilities of that Sharingan?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"Yes," Kakashi said. It was true that he was starting to be able to do more with the Sharingan than just seeing everything in slow motion, but he knew it wasn't perfect. Saiji raised a curious eyebrow at the answer, but shrugged and left it at that.

"Did you know that there's a rumour saying that your Uchiha friend was still alive when you thought he wasn't?" Kakashi's head snapped up and despite the darkness, he looked directly into Saiji's eyes. Saiji didn't say anything and held the gaze. There were suddenly many thoughts and emotions filling up Kakashi's head but he forced them to stop and pushed them all back down. He shook his head.

"He was dead," he said.

"Yes, and that was confirmed by the medics who checked his body," Saiji said. "That's only something that goes around some old women who have had no experience in the battlefield. Rumours are nasty, aren't they?" Kakashi remained silent. "The last thing I wanted to ask was this: Some people say that Orochimaru allowed you to escape. Is that true?"

"I don't know," Kakashi answered. "I don't remember much of what happened very clearly. But he didn't guide me out of his lair and show me the way back to Konoha."

"That's true. You were injured?" Kakashi nodded. Saiji must have seen it, since he went on to ask, "Heavily?"

"Enough to spend a while in the hospital."

"Ah, so that _was_ you," Saiji said. "The night before Orochimaru was marked as a missing-nin, I noticed a large crowd of villagers and medics and got a glimpse of a very bloody kid. I remembered the silver hair, so I thought it might have been you when I first saw you in the ANBU half a year ago. I'm still surprised that you survived those wounds."

"I wish I hadn't," Kakashi breathed very quietly, not intending it to be heard. In the back of his head, he knew that if Obito had heard that, he would be mad. But the memories had pulled him back to the dark, guilt-filled chasms of his mind. A part of him wished he had never brought up the subject at all.

"Don't we all," Saiji muttered, which surprised Kakashi a little. When he looked across the small room, Saiji had shifted onto his back, and then rolled onto his other side once again. "'Night, brat," he said.

Kakashi was about to say 'good night' but found that he couldn't at the last second. It wasn't as if he had forgotten how to, but somehow, the two words didn't come together on his lips; it wasn't natural. He couldn't remember the last time he had said that to someone. "Don't bite your tongue, Sai-jii," was all he could come up with.

Saiji snorted for a third time in the night and Kakashi suddenly realised how much he had just spoken.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Out of habit, both Saiji and Kakashi didn't immediately leave the ship like the other customers. They took their time to look out at the harbour from a position where they would be less noticeable and watched the people. Kakashi was inside the cafeteria, leaning his back against the edge of a window, leaving half of his body unseen from the outside. By turning his head slightly to the side, he scanned the small port and the few people gathered there. Most of them were women or children, greeting their families. There was just one man who drew Kakashi's attention.

"Excuse me, sir?" He turned around to see one of the crew members at the door. "Is there maybe something you are looking for, or lost? Almost everyone has already left."

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said, turning away from the window and walking towards the exit where the man stood. "I thought I would wait here while the queue died down, so I could escape the cold for a little longer. Thank you for the enjoyable trip."

They exchanged a nod of heads and Kakashi slowed his pace until the crewman was well into the cafeteria. As he walked to the exit of the indoor area of the ship, Saiji came up from the stairs and their eyes met.

"Head straight for the castle and personally meet Kazahana Sousetsu," Saiji said quietly. They paused in the small room, standing out of sight of the docks outside.

"The man in the grey robe?" Kakashi muttered.

Saiji nodded. "Whoever he is, I'll deal with him." Without another word, Kakashi left Saiji and joined the last string of people who were walking down the stairs. Just as Saiji had said, it was cold. It felt like the air was pressing into the skin, and the occasional breeze almost stung. His shinobi training told him to concentrate on other things and to ignore the freezing atmosphere, but on his occasion, he allowed his shoulders to tense and rubbed his hands over his arms in an effort to keep warm. His eye swept the small crowd and focused on an old woman a little to the left of the grey clan man. Forcing a small smile onto his face, he waved lightly, though the woman didn't seem to notice.

Saiji stepped out of the ship last, and noticed from the corner of his eyes that Kakashi was putting up a decent act of being a normal citizen. _As normal he can get with that costume_, he added. As for himself, he appeared unaffected by the biting cold and once he had looked over the whole dock, his eyes locked with the man's. As he stepped down from the last step, the man made his way towards Saiji.

"You are from Konoha," the man said, though it was a statement rather than an inquiry. He was fairly tall with broad shoulders and didn't seem to mind that his robe was not covering his whole torso.

"Indeed," Saiji replied. "And you are?"

"I am one of Sousetsu-sama's humble servants," he said. "Aoi Goumaru is my name. I was sent to wait for your arrival and escort you to the castle."

"Thank you for the kind act. It is much appreciated." Without looking away from Aoi, he saw Kakashi slip past the people and disappear.

"Well, I suppose we have stood in the cold for long enough," Aoi said. "Let us hasten to the castle where food, drinks and comfort are being prepared. It must have been a long journey from the Fire Country."

"Well yes, I must admit, there is a long distance between our countries." They began to walk away from the ship towards the small, snow covered town.

"Sousetsu-sama is very caring person, but at times he worries too much. I am sure there is no threat on Princess Koyuki. But since you have come so far, I hope it will be an enjoyable experience for you." He smiled pleasantly and Saiji returned the sincere expression.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It wasn't hard for Kakashi to navigate through the unfamiliar country and locate the castle since Kouyama had included a detailed map. While taking in the different scenery and distinct landmarks, he travelled quickly over the snow, having already discarded the civilian clothes and once again donned his ANBU uniform. It wasn't a sunny day, so there were plenty of shadows for him to blend in with. Although, with the scarce population, he needn't worry too much.

The Kazahana Castle stood behind the capital of the Snow Country, a large town that was spread in the shelter of a wide valley. The evergreen trees, laden with fresh snow, were lined against the high cliffs, which prevented the landscape from looking so stiff and glum. The castle was nestled securely in a corner of the cliffs, though it granted a view over the entire town.

Kakashi decided to look around the surroundings later, and made his way to the fortress. He noticed that the security, though strict and full of attention, was fairly easy to slip by. Without stepping into the inhabited areas of the castle, he searched for the lord.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kazahana Sousetsu sat in his study, scanning over papers and reading various reports from his people. But his mind was not focused on the task at hand. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and then looked out the window at the snowy mountains. With his brows knitted closely together, he leaned his elbow on the table and pressed his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose, shifting the round glasses.

"Sousetsu-sama." The lord dropped his hand and raised his eyes to the wooden doors at the far end of the room. "Koyuki-hime(1) has returned."

Before he could finish saying "Come in", the door slid open and a smiling little girl walked quickly into the room, though there was still a decent amount of elegancy in her steps.

"I'm back, Chichiue(2)!" she said happily, and Sousetsu stood up to catch his daughter, who hugged him tightly.

"How was it, Koyuki?" Sousetsu asked, and pulling a little away from her father, Koyuki beamed up at him and plunged into explanation of how the people were nice and offered her sweets and toys and so on. Sousetsu nodded and listened to what she had to say with a gentle smile. He looked up at the middle aged man kneeling at the doorway, who nodded deeply once, and this made Sousetsu relieved to know that nothing harmful had happened on his daughter's little excursion .

After her energetic explanation, Koyuki left the study with a sweet kiss for her father. This left Sousetsu alone once again, and he walked over to the window, which allowed his to view the capital town of the country. He sighed and the worried frown took its place once again on his features.

"Kazahana Sousetsu. Correct?"

Sousetsu almost jumped at the soft voice and upon turning around, he saw a man in dark robes and a mask that had a vague resemblance to a dog. He was crouched on one knee and his face was looking down at the floor, his head being covered by a hood. Sousetsu at once knew who it must be.

"Yes, I am," he replied in a quiet voice. "So you must be a ninja from Konoha." Kakashi nodded and Sousetsu released a soft sigh as relief washed over him.

"I received a mission to protect your daughter," Kakashi said. "You obviously suspect that she is being targeted, so why did you allow her to leave the castle?"

"I do not think that Koyuki is the main target," Sousetsu replied, walking over to sit down at his low desk once again. Kakashi only turned his head to follow him. "After all, for a coup de'tat to occur, it is I that they must overthrow. No, I hired you because I believed Koyuki may get involved and mercilessly killed were she to remain here, unprotected. Yesterday, she said she wanted to visit a friend in a close-by village. I could not deny her the freedom of wanting to play, especially when she had finally gotten to make a friend of her age." He laced his fingers together and propped his elbows on the table, lightly pressing his lips against his hands.

"But now that you have come, I can rest assured. I cannot bear to see Koyuki's innocent heart breaking all because of my inability to keep the country stable. Please, shinobi of Konoha, please protect my daughter and take her to safety is something happens to me."

Kakashi met the man's eyes for the first time and noticed that they contained fear and anxiety. Not for himself, but for his daughter. Then he diverted his gaze to the surface of the desk, which was covered with papers. "That is my mission," he said simply.

Sousetsu smiled, which pushed some of his weariness and uneasiness away from his features. "Thank you," he whispered.

"May I ask something?" Kakashi asked after a small pause.

"Yes, go ahead."

"You seem almost sure that the coup de'tat will succeed. Why did you not then hire shinobi to directly stop the overthrow?"

The lord did not answer immediately and slowly stood up again, returning once more to the window and gazing outside. He lightly placed a hand against the glass and a tender expression settled on his face.

"The Snow Country is the country I love and I am committed to protect its people," he said calmly. "My obligation, as the leader of this country, is to do everything possible in my power to stop the uprising and maintain peace and comfort that everyone has enjoyed up until now. It is my responsibility alone, and I am ready to give up even my life. It is nothing compared to the lives of my people."

Kakashi stared at Sousetsu's back and a distant memory tingled in the far corners of his mind. Darkness, fire, blood, bodies, and a large, unyielding and protective back of a tall figure. He closed his eyes against the image and left the study without a sound.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The company escorting Saiji to the castle arrived only in the late afternoon, as their pace over the deep snow was slow and the caravan they had used had more than once needed some minor repairs. As soon as they reached the capital and entered the large castle, Saiji was greeted by at least a dozen fine women and a room full of comforts, food and drinks. Not that he wasn't quite truly sober by the time they reached their destination. Judging from Aoi's information, there appeared to be very few problems in the country and not even a slight danger had yet been detected on the princess. And with the complicated talks over, the two of them had enjoyed the rest of the tedious journey with a few glasses of light alcohol.

The hours until late evening were spent in the comfortable room with entertainment, women and a plentiful amount of beverages. Saiji could no longer tell what he was drinking and his drunkenness showed clearly in his awfully slurred words and swaying movements. Nevertheless, the laughter and singing continued.

Aoi slid open the door and entered the room that reeked of alcohol. Saiji did not notice him until he was seated directly in front of the Konoha shinobi. He squinted through half lidded eyes, then threw back his head in laughter, clapping his hands without much coordination.

"Aoi!" he shouted loudly. "Hav'y'had some o' this – wonderful sake? S'brilliant! Tastes li – liiike – like the – the fings out ther'! In's snow! In's heavens abo'!" He roared with laughter, falling back into the arms of the women.

Aoi simply smiled. "I am glad to see you are enjoying yourself, Toyoaki-sama. We have more drinks and dishes if you so desire, or a change of women if you are tired of these here. We are at your service."

"I'd love – loouve some. But!" Saiji pulled himself into a sitting position, bringing his face quite close to Aoi. "I think…'tis about time I do ma job! Where's your lordie lord?"

"It is deeply regrettable," Aoi said, sinking his head to the floor in apology. "Sousetsu-sama has already retired to his quarters for the night. He is very weary these days. He said that he would see you in the morning."

"I see," Saiji muttered under his breath. "Already asleep and he'll see me in the morning, eh?"

"I beg your pardon, did you say something, Toyoaki-sama?" Aoi asked, raising his head.

"Oh nothin', it's nothin'!" Saiji slurred loudly, waving his entire arm. "More SAKE!!"

"As you wish, sir," Aoi said, with a polite smile and a purposeful glance at the service woman at the far end of the room. She bowed and brought forward the cup of strong alcohol.

She offered it to Saiji, who grabbed it from the tray and drained it in one gulp. He exhaled heavily, and sat still for a moment. Then he slammed his hands on the floor and staggered to his feet, lurching and stumbling, but somehow managing not to topple over. Aoi quickly stood up as well and reached out to him, but Saiji swatted his hands away.

"Bathroom!" he bellowed.

"Please allow some of the girls to show you the way," said Aoi hurriedly, motioning to a few of them.

"One'll do!" Saiji shouted, reaching for the door and missing several times. A well dressed woman slid under his grappling hand and gently slid the door open for him. She remained under his arm as he tottered this way and that, and guided him through the wide, but dark hallways. She had difficulty keeping her own balance and walking towards their destination at the same time. But after a while, she realised that he hadn't spoken at all since they had left the entertainment hall.

A little hesitantly, she glanced up at his face and almost jumped when she found him staring unwaveringly at her. She couldn't help but think that they were the eyes of a half conscious, not to mention spectacularly drunken man. It was like she was staring at the eyes of a hawk, or even a black-hole, but not what this man should have been.

In her surprise, she almost forgot about walking and was completely caught off guard when Saiji suddenly lost his footing and collapsed against the wall on the floor. Regaining her composure a few seconds too late, the woman gasped and landed, sprawled on Saiji's torso.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry, I – " she fumbled, but froze when Saiji placed a finger to her coloured lips.

"Your name?"

"Fuyuki Aya," she replied automatically, all of a sudden realising the close proximity, and blushing faintly for not comprehendible reason.

"Aya," Saiji breathed softly, gliding his hand across her smooth cheek and sliding his fingers into her smooth, loose hair. Hypnotised by those deep, seemingly endless eyes, Aya didn't refuse his gentle tug on the back of her head. Her orders were long driven from her suddenly drunken mind. She eased her eyes closed and leaned eagerly into the kiss.

Saiji leaned his head back against the wall and caught the dreaming woman as she collapsed onto his chest. He stared at the dark ceiling and grinned.

"You know I would never have done that," he said. "Eh, Pochi?"

"Considering your disgustingly foolish actions until now, I had my serious doubts," came the prompt answer that made no effort to hide the annoyance.

"Don't be so mad," Saiji said, turning his head to look up at the vague shadow of his partner, who was leaning against the wall of a smaller and much darker adjoining corridor. He carefully gathered Aya in his arms and propped her up against the wall beside him. "You got the chance to look around, didn't you?"

"While you were wasting yourself and pretending to be a stupid drunk, yes."

"I wasn't pretending," Saiji grumbled. He contorted his mouth in various different shapes and then spat something out into his hand. Kakashi turned to look to see what it was while Saiji held it up to examine.

"A sleeping pill?" Kakashi inquired.

"Yeah, they put it in the last drink. I encircled it with chakra to stop its effects. They were probably rushing, seeing as I wasn't dropping down unconscious by just drinking." He chortled.

Kakashi rolled his eye. "Did you get any useful information?"

"Other than the fact that Aoi is one of the plotters? No." Kakashi suppressed the urge to groan. Saiji must have noticed his impatience, for he added, "Oi, pup, I told you before, I'm not taking part in this mission. I got you here, so the rest is entirely up to you. Speaking of which, where's the princess?"

"Sleeping in her room."

"Is that so," Saiji mumbled with not the least bit of interest. Then his voice changed. "Pochi, if something's going to happen, it's going to be tonight. Keep – "

The rest of the sentence was cut off when a violent explosion shook the floor and walls. Immediately, there were panicked voices and screams and the sound of many running footsteps all around the castle. Kakashi cursed and was instantly alert and ready to find the quickest way back to the princess' room.

" – your guard up, was what I wanted to say." Saiji's drawl caused Kakashi to ground his teeth and spin around to see the other still slumped against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing? Stand up, this is a mission!" he snarled.

"No," was the blunt answer.

"What?"

Saiji opened his hand, which had been closed until then and revealed the sleeping pill, which was now turned to fine powder. He smirked at Kakashi as he poured the medicine into his mouth and swallowed hard.

"Good night, and good luck Pochi!" he said. "I'll see you back in Konoha in a few days."

"Sai – " Before the rest of the word was even formed, Saiji was snoring.

Kakashi swore loudly now and then disappeared into the darkness.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Holy crab. I'm so extremely sorry! I realise just how long I haven't updated. I'm really, really, sorry about that. But I think about this fic almost everyday, forming plans and plots here and there. Please be considerate! I'm honestly struggling with the workload they're giving us at school this year.

And sorry if the quality of this chapter is really bad. I started and wrote about half of it one or two months ago and the rest I wrote tonight. I'm dearly sorry. Please forgive me! If it's a saving factor, this chapter might be a little longer than the usual. Hehe.

As always, thank you for reading!

.LinSetsu.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen: **

Kakashi landed in Koyuki's bedroom and immediately knew that she was not there. He noticed that there weren't any signs of struggle. The bed look undisturbed since the child had lain there and her slippers were right where they had been before. Another explosion rocked the castle and the emergency bells rang with renewed ferocity as the fire began to spread ruthlessly through the wooden structure.

Without pausing to even reflect on the details of the room, Kakashi snapped his left eye open and slowly turned in a circle where he stood. The Sharingan was clearly less useful than the Byakugan of the Hyuuga Clan, but it was still possible to identify people with it. After a few moments of strained effort he spotted Koyuki. As possibly the only child in the castle, it wasn't impossible to identify the small figure. He had made sure to memorise the girl's weak chakra flow when he had watched her return to Sousetsu in the morning. Though it was more difficult to identify them in people untrained as shinobi, it was still there, since was one source of life. He found that same pattern three floors down in the peculiar room filled with mirrors, which he had noticed when he had examined the castle.

Kakashi strode to the windows, threw one of them open and leapt out. As he fell, he saw that the fire was already beginning to swallow the area which he was headed for.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

In the world of her imagination, Koyuki ran through the tall, green grass under a bright, warm sun. Her arms were spread out, her fingertips feeling the soft sensation of the breeze brushing past. Her legs were moving very fast but she felt no fatigue, as if wings had grown on her feet, which were carrying her through the beautiful fields of flowers.

"How does it feel?" It was her father's kind voice. It blended into the world of paradise. No, it belonged there. Without her father, nothing could be perfect. "Doesn't it allow you to feel warm and happy inside?"

"Yes!" she replied enthusiastically.

"That is Spring."

Koyuki opened her eyes and looked at her father. Her arms dropped to her sides and she took a few paces towards him with a slightly confused expression.

"Don't give up, and believe in the future," he continued in his gentle, yet ever so reassuring voice. "Then one day, Spring will come." Koyuki couldn't quite grasp the concept, and her eyes remained wide and wondering. She trusted her father. If he said something would happen, then she was sure it would.

"So if I don't give up, will I be able to run in the flower fields outside in the sun?" she asked, padding quietly across the room towards her father. Sousetsu smiled softly and began to nod, but his expression changed so suddenly and unexpectedly that Koyuki stopped with a gasp.

Everything happened rapidly after that. Her father disappeared and her surroundings changed abruptly. There was ice and snow, which she recognised immediately, and it was cold, unbearably cold, chilling her to the depth of her bones. She called out to her father, but her voice was lost to even her own ears. Her heartbeats pounded at a terribly fast pace in her neck and panic rose to engulf her mind. She screamed and cried but nothing could get rid of the icy coldness, and she felt herself sinking into endlessly deep water. She was dragged down by invisible hands and the light from the surface grew dimmer and dimmer until she feared she would die from the mere darkness. Her heart was seized by frenzy and she wailed and screamed hysterically.

But nothing came to save her, and her strength was spent. Her vision blurred and her consciousness was clouded by a thick veil. Tears of hopelessness streamed down her cheeks, mixing instantly with the ice cold water. The light was only a small dot in the far distance now. Weakly, she stretched out her hand to the light, trying to hold onto something, anything, that would stop her descend, and she prayed.

_Please help me. God, Chichiue, anyone! Please, help…_

Then her eyes widened, as she saw a large hand plunge into the water, reaching her cold, limp fingers in no time. The warm hand grasped her wrist and with a comforting force dragged her out of the cold.

Koyuki snapped her eyes open and the first thing she saw was a masked face hovering over her. But that soon disappeared, and she realised that she was lying on her back in the same room of mirrors. But it wasn't quiet and serene anymore. There was fire, people were screaming, bells were clanging like thunder and there was a foul smell in the air, other than the smoke. She grimaced at the strange, metallic scent and covered her nose with her hands. She sat up and lost the ability to even gasp. Her breath got stuck in her throat as she looked around at the chaos.

There was blood, and there were bodies strewn across the floor, motionless and lying in unnatural positions. Others were still moving in the middle of the room, but Koyuki's attention was stolen when a rain of deep, red liquid splashed down right in front of her. She let out a short, shrill scream and jumping to her feet, she backed away quickly from the blood, feeling nauseous and dizzy. All of a sudden, she bumped into someone, and she quickly spun around, hoping it was her father. But the man who looked down at her was wearing a disgusted sneer, and he quickly reached down to grab her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By the time Kakashi had arrived in the room, he was too late. The Sharingan told him immediately that there was no life left in Sousetsu, who lay dead in his own blood. Koyuki lay limp on the floor, her chakra flow disrupted, which Kakashi recognised as a genjutsu. There were five shinobi present in the room, hovering over the dead body while two stood over the princess. They all instantly noticed him and the room was very still for a brief second.

A kunoichi, one of the three kneeling around Sousetsu drew a long knife, which was already stained with blood. She sprang forward, but Kakashi didn't wait for her to reach him. He met her in the middle of the room, and the abruptness of his sudden reappearance seemed to have shocked the enemy. He grabbed the wrist holding the weapon with his left hand with enough force to immobilise the arm, and with his other hand, tightly gripped her throat. His greater speed made it easy to unbalance his opponent, slamming her onto the hard floor non-too gently. His fingers dug harder into her windpipes and she choked meekly, unable to throw him off or harm him in any way.

For a few seconds, Kakashi watched the kunoichi, no older than twenty, struggle weakly under his constraining hands. His gaze slid across to the useless weapon in her hand and the blood that coated it: Sousetsu's blood no doubt. Narrowing his eyes, Kakashi directed his chakra to his finger tips and released them in thin streams of concentrated chakra, diggings his fingers further into her neck. She stiffened for a moment, then blood spurted out of her mouth as his chakra punctured her throat, killing her instantly.

Kakashi was irritated. He didn't know why, which added to his annoyance. Perhaps it was because of Saiji and his unpredictable behaviour. Perhaps it was because of Sousetsu, who, in his opinion, had been too ready to be killed and he had gotten what he had wanted. Or perhaps even because the shinobi looked like filthy scavengers, picking at their prey's flesh. Or, maybe, just maybe, because Kakashi felt that he had let the large, protective back be killed again without trying to do anything against it.

So when two more shinobi attacked him, he held nothing back and killed them without mercy. It wasn't difficult to do, since none of them could have been stronger than a high ranking Chuunin. Kakashi straightened to face the shinobi standing by Koyuki and found that one of them had fled. The remaining ninja was scowling deeply and unfolded his crossed arms to face him.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "We were informed that the hired Konoha shinobi was already dealt with."

"You were falsely informed," Kakashi said, glancing quickly at the girl on the floor. She was reaching the limit – he had to get her out of the illusion quickly before her mind broke. "Do you want to stay alive? I'll let you live if you run away like your clever little friend."

The shinobi snarled angrily and leapt at him, his hands flicking through an unfamiliar set of seals. Kakashi opened his Sharingan to see each individual seal being formed. When he saw that they were finished, he looked up again and found that it seemed as if the shinobi was a fraction of a second late in finishing the seals. Kakashi didn't have much time though, to think over what he had seen as the snow from outside suddenly rushed into the room, hardening into chunks of ice and being hurled at him. His hands automatically formed a few deft seals and he tipped his head back while shifting the ANBU mask a little to free his mouth. _Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu_.

"Fool!" shouted the shinobi with triumph. "Where do you think you're – "

The rest of his sentence was cut off when the stream of fire scorched the roof, causing it to finally collapse under the strain of the flames from above. The burning wooden frames crashed down onto the ice, and the room was filled with smoke and fire. The Yuki-nin covered his mouth and nose and squinted through the heat and smoke, gripping his knife in his free hand. He was ready when the robed ANBU burst out of the fire, but wasn't prepared when his own jutsu came straight back at him. For a moment, he stood, immobilised in his own shock. He then jerked out of his trance and leapt up to avoid the attack and was confronted directly with his enemy.

Kakashi activated a genjutsu, then dropped down beside Koyuki, leaving the shinobi to deal with the illusion of fighting his technique, which appeared to be much improved. Kakashi quickly reached down to the girl and gently touched her hand to dispel genjutsu. Her eyes fluttered open and slowly focused on him, but Kakashi was distracted by a rain of kunai flying towards them. He withdrew his katana from under the robe and, keeping some distance between himself and Koyuki, threw down the weapons in rapid succession. But the aggressor didn't show himself, and a sudden thud to the side informed him that the shinobi under the illusion had somehow collapsed.

A small, shrill yelp caused Kakashi to turn around and he saw Koyuki being held roughly by a large shinobi, backed up by half a dozen others. The little girl was too terrified to struggle. Kakashi slowly sheathed the sword and then stood still.

"If you want to save this girl, then answer the questions," the newcomer spat. "What were you hired to do? Who is the other sorry-excuse-for-a-shinobi? Who are you?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, and the shinobi tightened his grip on Koyuki, who whimpered quietly. With no other choice, Kakashi opened his mouth to reply when a new voice entered the conversation.

"You are Hatake Kakashi, a Konoha ANBU, am I correct?"

Kakashi turned slightly and saw a long grey haired shinobi walking unhurriedly out of the little remaining darkness. His clothes were similar to the other Yuki-nins, but he also wore a type of armour that Kakashi had never seen before. He locked gazes with Kakashi and there was an eerie gleam in his light emerald coloured eyes. He smiled slightly with no hint of kindness and glanced at the shinobi holding Koyuki.

"Let the princess go," he said. "We do not need any hostages to win."

"But Nadare-sama – "

"Let her go," he repeated in a softer voice, and the shinobi immediately released her, as if recoiling away. Koyuki shuffled back against a mirror and watched in fear. Kakashi did not take his eyes off the ninja in front of him.

"How did you know who I was?" he asked. His mask was still in place, and he had removed neither robe nor hood since he had entered the castle.

"I beg forgiveness for my rudeness," the shinobi said instead of replying straight away. "I am Rouga Nadare of the Snow Country. We found your sleeping counterpart and took the liberty to ask him a few questions. He seemed rather eager to speak to us about you."

Kakashi felt his annoyance flare again, but he pushed it down, vowing to have a quick few words with that Saiji once the mission was complete. "He is in your custody, then?" he asked instead, keeping his voice even.

A trace of irritation flickered in Nadare's eyes, and Kakashi did not miss it. "He was until just a few minutes ago," came the reply. "However, my incapable subordinates seem to have let him go." That was a relief. At least Kakashi didn't have to go and pick him up as well. Not that he would have in the first place.

At the moment though, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Kakashi was no amateur in battles; he knew that this Rouga Nadare was strong. He was on a completely different level as to the others he had fought just before. Up until now, it was a good thing that Koyuki hadn't realised her father was dead; his body lying in the shadows, off to the side. But that wouldn't last for long. He had to get her out of the castle.

Nadare advanced a step, which drew Kakashi's attention. "Your partner was saying something about a Sharingan," he said. "Is it true or did he have too much to drink? Show me what you can do, Kakashi."

Kakashi didn't have the time to think any further as Nadare flew at him. He managed to duck under a swipe from his blade, and as he rose behind his enemy, he drew his katana with his left hand and slashed it down at Nadare's back. The attack was avoided with ease and Nadare flung his knife around in a swift, graceful arc, forcing Kakashi to meet it just before it sliced his throat open. He gritted his teeth against the force of the blow and opened his left eye as he realised he was going to land at a disadvantage if he did not.

Koyuki watched with wide eyes as the two shinobi engaged in the sword fight, neither of their attacks making any direct hits. But she saw that the masked ninja was slowly behind pushed back with every clash of blades. She followed their figures as they drew away from the angry fire and towards the shadows. Then she suddenly saw something just beyond the two fighters and she thought her heart stopped for a second. The fire, the battle, the shinobi, all faded away as she saw her father lying on the ground in a puddle of blood.

"Chichiue!" she shouted, getting to her feet and running towards Sousetsu, trying not to stumble on the shards of glass and burnt wood on the floor. "Chichiue!!"

The girl's cries caused Kakashi to look quickly in her direction. Nadare was not pleased with the distraction in his opponent and lunged at him with a sharp thrust to the chest. The blade tore through the black robe, which fluttered limp, and Nadare narrowed his eyes, searching the room for the ANBU, but he was no longer there.

Kakashi had grabbed Koyuki around the waist and fled from the room with all the speed he could gather. The princess was dazed for a moment, but she soon began screaming and struggling in his arms.

"Chichiue! Let me go! Chichiue! He's still in there! We can't leave him!" she brawled, tears streaming down her face and almost choking her words.

"Koyuki-hime, listen to me," Kakashi said without dropping his pace. "Kazahana Sousetsu was killed. Your father is dead. I'm going to bring you to safety, as was the wish of your father. Please stay still."

"But Chichiue…Maybe he's still…" Then the tears overwhelmed her and she fell silence, sobbing against his shoulder and trembling. Kakashi now focused on finding the best way of escaping from the castle. If he were alone, he could probably have outrun them, but with the princess, it was another story. He didn't go too deep into the castle, staying away from the Snow ninjas and the people of the castle. Nevertheless, he headed to the bottom of the large building, hoping to find some sort of transport that may yet be useable.

He came out to a deep natural canyon, which the castle used as an enormous basement, containing empty prison cells, countless storage rooms and which also led to what was used as a spare garage for damaged transportations. The canyon went deep into the earth, but there was one opening he needed to find. Numerous, broad bridges connected the two sides of the rocks, which Kakashi used to gradually make his way down.

A sudden surge of chakra caught his attention, however, and he abruptly stopped on one of the bridges. Not a moment later, a flock of what looked to be birds swept down on them, circling under the bridge and soaring back up. Kakashi knew better than to believe that they were living animals. The steel railing of the bridge was lightly torn in places where the 'birds' had brushed their wings.

"Are you the runaway mouse that Nadare was talking about?"

Kakashi turned to see a pink haired kunoichi, dressed in a similar fashion to Nadare, poised on the guard rail a dozen metres to the left of him. She stood with her arms crossed, looking down at him with an amused smile.

Kakashi had little time to study her, though, as he felt a foreign presence rising quickly beneath him. Without waiting, he swiftly leapt to the left as the bridge cracked and exploded under his feet, revealing another Snow ninja, buffer than Nadare, but wearing identical armour. Koyuki screamed and the bridge shook from the sudden onslaught, threatening to collapse, but it held, despite a couple of metres of the bridge disappearing from the middle. Kakashi turned his back to the splintering metal, keeping the princess from any harm, but quickly focused on the new arrival, who landed heavily on the other side of the kunoichi.

"Fubuki, why is Nadare so interested in such a petty little mouse?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Kakashi, who remained motionless.

"How should I know?" she replied with a note of irritation. "We were just told to find him."

"Fubuki, Mizore," came a familiar voice from the darkness beyond the bridge, "have you heard a rumour about Hatake Kakashi of Konoha Gakure, son of the White Fang, pupil of the Fourth Hokage, and wielder of the Uchiha Sharingan?"

Nadare walked unhurriedly into the light and onto the bridge, striding forward until he came to stand between his subordinates.

"_This_ is the rumoured Hatake Kakashi?" Fubuki asked dubiously.

"Is he strong?" Mizore followed.

Nadare chuckled slowly. "That, we can find out soon enough." With the thin smile still on his lips, Nadare rushed forward in a blur of movement. Without thinking twice, Kakashi placed a mystified Koyuki on the floor and left her to meet Nadare in the middle. Kakashi moved as to strike out with his fist, but he continued a rapid descend to the floor and flipped tightly over his right hand, twisting his body to lash out at Nadare's chest with his feet. Taken by surprise, Nadare blocked the attack in the last second, but the force of the impact was enough to make him stumble back a few paces. He didn't bother straightening as Kakashi flew at him, and instead, flicked out several hidden kunai from his sleeve and flung them at the ANBU.

Kakashi dropped his left shoulder and twisted it back to avoid the weapons and came face to face with Nadare for a second, both shinobi still moving from the velocity of their sideward momentum. Kakashi reached up and drew his katana, and was about to bring it down on Nadare, but abruptly stopped and swung it in the opposite direction, blocking a long shaft of ice from Fubuki. One glance in her direction confirmed that the last ninja was missing, which was the only warning he got when Mizore dropped down on him from above, slamming his fist into the floor and spreading a few cracks. Kakashi threw himself back just in time, backing up against the rail. Rapid movement to his right drew his attention and he watched Fubuki forming a set of seals.

"Get yourself caught in this _Hyourou no jutsu_!" she shouted, placing her fingers on the floor. Cubes of ice burst up in rapid succession, covering the distance between them in the matter of a second. Kakashi leapt high, evading the rising ice, but stiffened when he felt a flicker of a presence above him. He swirled around, but could do nothing to stop the rain of icicles that were already centimetres from his face. He threw his arms up for protection but the attack cracked his mask open into pieces while he was hurled down. Somehow, he managed to get his feet under him, and he landed in a crouch between the three Snow ninja and Koyuki.

"What's wrong? Is that all you've got?" Nadare taunted with a smirk. Kakashi made no reply, but narrowed his eyes. They were strong, especially Nadare. His speed was practically equal with Kakashi's, and his ability to hide his presence so well during combat made things worse. The only weakness he found was his taijutsu. He lacked the precision and control, but Kakashi could not afford to engage in a close range battle with the other two close by. Three to one in this case, had him at a big disadvantage, as he had just experienced. Kakashi gritted his teeth in slight irritation and tightened his grip on the katana, unconsciously allowing his chakra to seep into the blade. He slowly rose to his feet, the sword beginning to vibrate a dim white hue.

He had dallied long enough. He still had a mission to accomplish.

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Hyourou no jutsu: ice prison technique

First of all, you know my usual apology. It's been months! Literally! I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. I'm so sorry!

Secondly, I want to also apologise for the quality of this chapter. Somehow, I couldn't write it the way I wanted to. I don't even like the way it ended…But, well, maybe you enjoyed the plot a little. Please forgive me!

Lastly, **thank you all for being so patient! **

.LinSetsu.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen: **

Kakashi watched the three Snow ninjas through his one eye and a moment passed when none of them moved. Then Mizore and Fubuki leapt upwards in a blur of uniform movement while Nadare rushed forward with his hands beginning to form a set of seals. Kakashi sheathed his word, then calmly slid his Sharingan eye open and simply watched. Nadare raised his eyes a little to see where his two subordinates were and was pleased to see them exactly where he wanted them: just above the ANBU, preparing for a follow-up attack. He completed his seals, briefly wondering why Kakashi had not even fallen into a battle-ready stance, but he dismissed it quickly, thinking it was sheer overconfidence.

_Hyouton Tsurara Boufuu no jutsu_. The water particles in the air instantly froze as Nadare's chakra spread from his body, causing them to instantly form sharp icicles, which were hurled towards the ANBU. Kakashi focused on what he saw in his left eye, while he deftly formed a few, quick seals. _Katon Kaen Bouheki no jutsu_. The fire he spat out through his lungs curled into a tight circle and rose into the air almost like a solid wall. He melted Nadare's ice with ease, and also engulfed both Fubuki and Mizore's combined attack from behind. The latter two shied away from the burning heat, and were unprepared when Kakashi suddenly erupted from the flames, already finishing a set of seals. He narrowed his eyes, gathering his concentration. _Hyouton Tsurara Boufuu no jutsu_.

Faced with one of Nadare's advanced techniques coming from a Lead ninja, both of them froze in shock and uncertainty. Their moment of hesitance became their downfall, as the attack struck them with its full intensity, throwing them both backwards and into the hard railings of another bridge. Kakashi landed on the other half of the bridge that Mizore had destroyed upon his arrival, in hopes to keep a safe distance between the fight and the princess.

"Now what was that?" The soft voice came from behind him. Kakashi spun around, automatically ducking under a horizontal swipe of the long knife Nadare held. "It looked as though you copied my technique, just after seeing it for the first time. Is that even possible, Hatake Kakashi?"

Kakashi made no reply as he continued to dodge around Nadare's swift swings, occasionally meeting it with a kunai. It was not long before a loud noise of explosion cracked overhead and an enraged Fubuki descended on the enemy. _Hyouton Tsubame Fubuki_. The flock of dangerous birds swept down onto the ANBU, only to be dodged, and she was faced, once again, with a technique that she was very familiar with. The Sharingan tails in Kakashi's eyes spun as he carefully observed her hands. It was a good opportunity to test whether or not the first time had merely been sheer luck.

Nadare watched as Kakashi successfully recreated Fubuki's signature jutsu. The speed, strength and precision were all just as good as the original attack. Faced with her own technique, his subordinate faltered under the mental disbelief and was hurled out of the battle. Nadare smirked, and he leapt up to meet his opponent.

Kakashi's attention switched immediately from the kunoichi to Nadare, who was quickly closing the distance between them. Kakashi withdrew several shuriken and threw them down, but Nadare raised an armoured arm and the hand weapons were harmlessly deflected. The yuki-nin reached up and snatched the ANBU's ankle, yanking him down and flinging him towards the bridge. A sudden strain behind his left eye distracted Kakashi and he winced at the dull pain that pounded in his head, unable to react to Nadare's attack.

As he fell down, Kakashi closed his Sharingan for a moment and his hands went through a set of quick seals. _Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi_. He flung the gust of wind at Nadare, and was surprised to see that it did no damage, even after hitting the enemy square in the chest. Was the armour made to deflect ninjutsu as well? Kakashi gritted his teeth and pulled a tight flip to land softly on his feet again. As soon as Nadare came down, Kakashi pushed away from the ground, using small bursts of chakra at his feet to accelerate his speed. Nadare executed three consecutive ice jutsu, but Kakashi followed only the slowed movement of the attacks with his Sharingan, which enabled him to dodge them all at the last second.

As the ANBU got steadily closer, Nadare narrowed his eyes and flicked through another set of seals, and then waited. Just when the enemy was within striking range, he slammed his hands onto the ground. _Hyouton Hyouheki no jutsu_. A thick wall of bristling ice erupted from the bridge, directly beneath the ANBU's feet. Kakashi grasped the hilt of his sword and swung it down onto the growing ice without breaking step. The blade flared in white hue as Kakashi allowed his bloodline chakra to flow freely through his hands into the katana. The sword cracked through the ice, breaking it away before it solidified its grip around him. Kakashi felt the weapon give a dangerous jolt, but he ignored it, supporting the blade with his chakra so it wouldn't break apart.

Nadare's eyes widened when the ice wall of absolute zero temperature burst open and the ANBU brought his katana down in a diagonal swing that could only be seen as a blurred white line. The yuki-nin hastily raised his own knife in defence, but the eerie, ivory brimmed blade slashed through his weapon, and cut into his thick chakra armour. For a moment, Nadare feared that even the armour would not be enough, but the ANBU's katana suddenly shattered into many small pieces.

Kakashi had been anticipating the break, and so managed to slip past his enemy and leapt across the gap towards Koyuki. Nadare spun around as soon as he noticed Kakashi's intentions and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance. _Hyouton Hahen Kyoufuu no jutsu_. As the shards of ice flew at them, Kakashi picked up the princess again and threw them both down into the chasms of the canyon, escaping the attack and quickly disappearing from sight.

Nadare watched them slowly fade into the darkness and was in a thoroughly foul mood when Fubuki and Mizore finally managed to join him. They stared at the canyon, hardly believing that they saw.

"The bastard's running away!" Fubuki snarled.

"He won't leave this country alive," Mizore muttered. Before Nadare could reply, they heard hurried footsteps and turned to see a yuki-nin running towards them.

"Nadare-sama, Dotou is demanding that you go and see him," the shinobi said. "He is furious, Nadare-sama!"

Nadare's mouth contorted into a sneer, but he turned away from the broken bridge and began to walk back towards the entrance. The shinobi flattened himself against the railing to make space for the three to pass.

"What about Hatake Kakashi? Can't we - " Fubuki growled.

"Leave him," Nadare snapped, which was enough to keep the other two silent.

The shinobi trailed the three with his eyes as they turned a corner and disappeared from view – but not before he took careful note of Nadare pressing a hand against his right shoulder, where Kakashi's katana had struck him. Faint blotches of blood were beginning to stain the fabric of his clothes and armour. The shinobi smirked, craning his head a little to glance down at the canyon, as he released his disguise.

"Not bad, Pochi," he muttered, "but not great either, huh?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi dropped down for a few seconds, searching the darkness below him while he held the princess close to his shoulder. She was quiet and still, most likely the result of her shock and intense fear. He didn't spend too much time wondering; it was most certainly easier for him when she was silent. Then he found what he was looking for, and landed lightly on a particularly broad, stone bridge. He ran through the opening in the wall and found himself in a very large room. The high ceiling was supported by natural columns of rock and the room was almost as big as a track field. In it, there were countless boxes, crates and planks, unused or broken carriages, and transport sledges.

As soon as he approached the various sledges, the strong scent of animals reached his nose before he heard the deep, menacing growls. He turned around a corner of stacked, wooden boxes and was confronted with a pack of four large, black dogs. As he came into view, they rose slowly from their crouch, their lips peeling back to reveal sharp canines as they snarled dangerously. Their tails were tucked between their legs and their hackles rose as they watched the intruder through wary, yellow eyes.

Kakashi lowered Koyuki's limp form onto one of the lower crates, and then calmly walked over to the dogs. They stood their ground, their snarls becoming more vicious, muscles bunching under their fur, ready to attack at any second. Kakashi looked directly into the alpha's eyes and slowly extended a hand to him. The mongrel continued to growl for a moment longer before he calmed down and padded forward to brush against Kakashi's hand affectionately.

"Thank you," he mumbled very quietly. "I need your help."

Quickly, Kakashi harnessed the dogs and lined them up in front of a sleigh. He placed Koyuki onto the back, at his feet, just in front of a sturdy, wooden box. Within a minute, they were rushing through the dock, and Kakashi burst open the gate with an explosive tag. The snow-nin guards standing just outside were blasted away and were fazed for a few seconds, which was enough for Kakashi to get away. With alarmed shouts, they hurled kunai at the escapees, but managed to only strike the box. The dock was located at the very bottom of the castle, where there were no people. The remaining resistance was taking place in the upper levels of the castle, while the lower floors were already surrounded in flames.

Perhaps it was the sudden exposure to the cold, or the dull glow of the raging fire that drew Koyuki from her mental cocoon. She blinked, hearing the sound of the sledge being pulled through the snow, and then she peered over the box at the structure of her home being swallowed in angry waves of flame. Who would put out the fire? Who would save their home? It was their home. She had lived there all her life with her father…

"Chichiue!" she suddenly screamed, her eyes wide, as she scrambled on top of the box. Kakashi jerked his head around, fearing she would jump off, but she knelt, frozen on the wood, her hands clutching the edges.

"Please keep your head down!" he shouted above the sound of the, rushing air. "The enemy will detect us!"

"Chichiue!" Koyuki wailed again, and then broke into gasping sobs. Kakashi turned and focused on finding the path that would lead him to the port in secrecy. He tried to concentrate on leading the dogs, but he couldn't help but acknowledge some of the irritation in his chest. Something felt horribly wrong with the whole situation. It wasn't just the weeping child he had to take care of. There was more. Everything had gone downhill since Nadare's entrance. Hell, everything had been going downhill since the whole coup d'etat began. Kakashi had no idea what was throwing him off, but he knew that it was gradually, but surely, building up a sense of severe annoyance in him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was half past four in the morning and while the Konoha village was still deep in slumber, the ANBU Headquarters was beginning to get busy. Those coming back from missions and those leaving filled the changing and debriefing rooms, as well as the numerous offices. Matsuno Hoshimi an ANBU strategist, but also took the 'Messenger' shifts from time to time. The Messengers were responsible for sending out birds to the ANBU shinobi to alert them of anything. They also controlled the messages that were delivered to the Headquarters from the Hokage, or the outside world.

Hoshimi stroked the slightly ruffled feathers of a northern bird as she took the small, official scroll from its leg. Then she sent the bird out of the window and looked through the content of the miniature scroll. Upon reading the scribbled handwriting, and making sure, once again, that the message was official, Hoshimi ran out of the room, much to the surprise and curiosity of the other present Messengers.

The kunoichi quickly descended the stairs to the main area of the Headquarters and didn't stop until she arrived in front of the door that led into the large, Foreign Administration office. She knocked hastily and entered immediately when she was admitted. The shinobi in charge, Shouga Katsura was sitting behind his desk studying the map and taking notes on a notepad. His assistant was shuffling through papers in one of the many shelves of the office. Katsura looked up briefly as Hoshimi bowed quickly. He didn't need to prompt her into talking.

"We have just received a notice from the Boar that there has been a successful coup d'etat yesterday in Snow Country at 2230," she informed in a clipped tone. "He also requests that an orphanage be organised."

Katsura tapped the end of his pen softly against his notes as he contemplated the message. Hoshimi understood very little of the second half, but ANBU messages often came in coded language, referring to the contents of specific missions. Katsura, however, knowing of the instable conditions in the Snow Country was aware of the mission undertaken by the Boar and the Dog. If the Boar was asking to get the necessary papers for an orphanage, it would mean that their mission had been successful.

"Tell the Boar that there will be a Jounin waiting at the Port," Katsura said, and Hoshimi nodded, then left without a word. On a new piece of paper, he then proceeded to write two letters, which he signed and sealed into a small envelope. Once that was done, he turned to his assistant. "Ranzou, give this to the Chuunin manning the Mission Desk and send this second one to Hachimitsu no Mura. Make it quick."

"Hai," Ranzou replied crisply, and immediately left. Katsura also rose from his seat to find Kouyama. The ANBU head had expressed his personal interest in the mission that the Dog and Boar had done. He would, no doubt, be eager to hear about its success.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Neither Kakashi nor Saiji were pleased with the outcome of the mission.

Kakashi had been in a foul mood when he had met up with his 'partner' at the harbour several hours after the coup. It was roughly two hours past midnight, and the princess had fallen in an exhausted sleep during their journey. Once they had neared the port village, he had released the dogs and destroyed the sledge. He found Saiji sitting in front of a small house, sheltered from the sea's cold wind, clutching his head in his hangover. The Boar mask was in place and he had somehow managed to retrieve his robe. As Kakashi approached him, he stood up and beckoned the teenager to follow him. They ran a while over the coast until Saiji led him to an old, battered shed, which was protected on three sides by relatively high cliffs.

Saiji pushed the door open with a bit of difficulty, and Kakashi followed. It looked slightly better inside, and at least the walls didn't let the wind blow through the shed. It was small, with only a small fireplace in the middle, and the floor was just the sand on the little beach. Saiji pulled off his robe and placed it on the sand, and Kakashi half consciously laid the princess inside. Neither of them said a word for the next few seconds, and only _then_ did the storm broke loose.

"Took you a while to get down here," Saiji commented, settling himself comfortably against the wall.

"Unlike some excuse-of-a-ninja, who hid from the battle like a rookie Genin and took a nap while his target was almost killed, I was trying to do a mission," Kakashi breathed, hardly managing to keep a check on his temper. "Oh, and not to mention how the idiot seemed to talk so freely in his sleep to reveal some information that was clearly unnecessary in the situation."

"Well, well, I take it the brat was helplessly cornered by just _three_ enemy ninjas, hm? And you have the courage to point a finger at me and say _I'm_ like a Genin?"

"And aren't you one to be talking. You were sleeping blissfully and probably dreaming about an alcohol heaven – "

"Won't that be nice, and make sure hangovers don't occur in that heaven – "

" – And I'm not sure if you can understand with your intelligence, but the information you spilled could well have ruined the mission."

"Listen you good-for-nothing brat, I – "

"I believe I'm better than a hopeless-avenger-turned-drunkard in denial – "

" – said I would have nothing, absolutely _nothing_ to do with this goddamned mission. You're just being a sulking kid because things didn't turn out the way you wanted them to. Face it, brat, you can't control every situation."

"Probably because you were the one to mess everything up from the beginning to the end." During the journey from the castle to the port, Kakashi came to a conclusion that the idiot sitting across from him in the little shed was a large part of his annoyance.

Saiji was not amused anymore. With the hangover still pounding in his head with every word the kid spoke, his mood swung down a darker path. "Oh yeah?" he spat vehemently. "Why do you think you weren't pursued after escaping from that castle? Why do you think we aren't hunted now by those Snow shinobi? Huh? It's because _I_ distracted them. After your pitiful flight from those three ninjas, I made sure they didn't chase after you. I made sure that all the shinobi present in that revolution would be kept busy long enough for us to leave this country. You see, Sousetsu's body and all his possessions were very important to Dotou. I disposed of both of them while you were fighting. _I_ use the situations that I create. You just whine and sulk like a downright, spoiled _brat_ and wallow in your incompetence."

"How _smart_ of you to do that," Kakashi drawled with biting sarcasm. In truth, he was somewhat shocked to hear that Saiji had gone through all that, and he doubted that they were lies. But his temper was still unquenched and he wasn't about to lose his dignity so easily. "So much for 'Mr. I won't have anything to do with the mission'. But that's alright. You could have just _told_ me your plans. And then I would have probably objected, since your wonderful plan completely neglected our mission of bringing this girl to safety. If anything, you threatened the mission more than was necessary, which is the only reason why I am _complaining_ – not whining or sulking."

Saiji barked with mirthless laughter. "'Not whining or sulking' huh? Bullshit. You're angry and you don't know why. So you pick a scapegoat and blame everything on me. Wrong! I'll tell you exactly why you're mad: your performance on this mission was fucking _crap_.

"First you lost yourself to your own emotions, and then you completely underestimated the enemy. Once you were confronted with a more capable shinobi, you became distracted with your charge, losing your common sense again. You could have overpowered that shinobi within ten minutes if you had really tried. But you fled instead, making matters worse. Now you were faced with three enemies instead of one, and the chances of winning became a far-fetched dream. So you could do nothing by flee again.

"What's more, you let them see your face _and_ you let all three of them live. The ANBU has pride, you know. We don't let the enemy see our identities and allow them to walk away alive. Even if your mission was not to kill as many Snow ninjas as possible, what you've done is a disgrace."

Kakashi could not come up with any retorts. As he listened, he painfully realised that what Saiji was saying was _true_. He clenched his teeth together and his fingers dug deeply into the sand. He broke the eye contact and glared at the fire place instead.

"You want me to keep going?" Saiji demanded, "'cause there's definitely more. You failed to read the situation precisely. You may have checked the castle diligently but you were totally unprepared for the coup. It showed in your actions. I don't know what you were so distracted about, but there were clear signs that indicated the coming assault. And yet you missed them like an amateur fool.

"Who do you think prepared those lovely dogs that got you out of that castle? They didn't materialise from thin air, I assure you. You're supposed to be some genius but you can't even get the basics. You are weak, Hatake Kakashi. You underestimate the level of ANBU missions. Not everything is as easy and simple as assassinations. If you want to stay alive then you have to get stronger. There isn't anyone who is going to protect you in _this_ world. If you continue to behave like you did on this mission, your head is going to blow off your neck, and you know it! You are so pathetically _weak_!"

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Hyouton Tsurara Boufuu no jutsu: storm of icicle  
Katon Kaen Bouheki no jutsu: wall of fire  
Hyouton Tsubame Fubuki: swallow storm  
Ninpo Kaze Kamaitachi: sickling winds  
Hyouton Hyouheki no jutsu: wall of ice  
Hyouton Hahen Kyoufuu no jutsu: winds of shards

Hello again! It's been a while…My muse suddenly returned, and I managed to write this chapter in two afternoons. Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I sent most of you review replies explaining why. For those who didn't or forgot, my final exams are coming up in May, so I'm pretty busy…didn't stop me from writing this chapter, though. Lol.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! It's been a while since I've written at all, so the quality may be a bit bad, but please bear with it.

.LinSetsu.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty: **

A boy yawned widely and rubbed his damp eyes his sleeve. He and his team mates sat at the docks of the village called the Port, looking out at the morning sea. There were many ships, both incoming and outgoing, and the fishermen were too busy to pay the Team much attention. A girl sat on the wooden dock with her legs swinging freely above the calm water surface while the last boy sat with his back against one of the large, wooden pillars, his legs pulled up to his chest. Unlike the other two, he wore a dark green vest that indicated his higher status.

"Kazu, Nanako, Hayate," a Jounin shinobi called, walking up to his students, "that's the ship they're on." He pointed to a cargo ship that was slowly pulling into the docks. The two Genin and one Chuunin rose to their feet and they made their way over to where the men were now busy unloading the large goods. They stood out of the way and Mizuno Takuya, the Jounin, searched carefully for any trace of the two ANBU he was supposed to meet. At the Mission desk, he had been summoned as the first Jounin who was able to do this mission. It was only after a few minutes of debating that he was given the permission to take his three students with him, since he could not just leave them sitting around for several days.

Hayate stood quietly between his two team mates and a small frown creased his brow as he saw something flicker just above the ship. He blinked and looked again, but saw nothing this time. Maybe he was just tired from the long journey they had made. Unbeknownst to him, however, Takuya had seen it as well. But before he could react, he felt a flicker of a presence right beside him and the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he heard a quiet voice very close to his ear.

"Meet me on the outskirts of the village at the base of the cliff."

By the time Takuya turned around, the presence was gone. Though he was often regarded as a skilled and capable Jounin, Takuya always felt somewhat unnerved just being in the presence of an ANBU. They stood on a completely different level to ordinary shinobi, and he understood why.

"Let's go," he said quietly to his students, who looked up at him with different expressions on their faces. Hayate, who was without a doubt the strongest of the three, looked searchingly at his teacher, having second thoughts on the strange feeling he had just felt. Nanako, the ever shy and quiet girl seemed ready to do whatever she was told to do. It was Kazu who looked most displeased, and did not hesitate to voice his opinion.

"Go where? Don't tell me we came all the way up here just to return to Konoha empty handed."

"Don't rush to conclusions," Takuya said patiently. "We're going to meet them at a different place. It's just outside the village, don't worry." Ushering his students away from the docks, they walked through the town towards the designated meeting spot.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi landed in the shadows of the cliff and made sure that the numerous boulders prevented the civilians from catching sight of them. He lay Koyuki down on the grass, who shifted in her sleep but did not wake up. They had slipped secretly onto the first ship that departed from Snow Country several hours after their arrival at the port village. During the long ride, Saiji had received a notice from the ANBU, telling them that there would be a Jounin waiting for them at the Port, who would deliver the princess to an appropriate place. Since Kakashi had lost both his robe and mask, he had left the ship and came directly to the foot of the cliff with Koyuki while Saiji informed the Jounin.

He looked down at the sleeping princess and his eyes caught the bright, hexagonal crystal that hung from her neck. On her small body, the palm-length stone looked too large. He stooped down and tucked the necklace under her coat.

(Flashback)

"Koyuki-hime, please listen carefully," Kakashi said as he knelt in front of the princess, who was sitting on the box. The dogs were gone and he was about to dispose of the sleigh as well, but he had to give her something first. He pulled out a long, hexagonal crystal from his pouch and showed it to the girl, who looked only half conscious. He couldn't blame her – the horrors of the night were taking its toll on her young mind.

"This is from your father, Kazahana Sousetsu," he explained carefully. "He entrusted me with this Rokkaku Suishou, and he asked that I give it to you. He wanted you to keep it with you safe at all times. He said that it would bring you a miracle in your future." He draped the necklace around her thin neck and then gently slid his hand over her eyes. When he removed it, she was already in deep slumber.

(End Flashback)

Kakashi looked up as Saiji landed on the other side of Koyuki. They exchanged a brief glance, and then Kakashi turned and leapt away, disappearing quickly from view. Saiji watched his leave. The two of them had hardly spoken after their argument. The boy hadn't said another word after Saiji's blatant criticism, and chose instead to spend the rest of the time outside the little shed they had found. He thought that perhaps he had been a little too harsh with his words, but they were nothing but the truth. The kid was still too weak.

He had seen many weak shinobi enter the ANBU. Most of them had died during missions. The rest of them simply broke and spent the rest of their lives in a mental hospital. It wasn't that they were unskilled. They were just incapable. There was a difference. The reason why the ANBU was so dangerous was not only because they got all the assassinations and the riskiest jobs. No, a lot of the Jounin were strong enough for that. The reason so many shinobi simply broke in the ANBU was because they were there to do the dirty work, which had to be done one way or another.

Konoha was respected and famous for its strong group of ninjas. But that didn't mean that villains and twisted, rich bastards stayed away from it. Konoha got its fair amount of ugly jobs, most of them being very morally incorrect. But Konoha didn't have the leisure to turn them away – they had to be done. So all those missions were turned to the ANBU. And those shinobi who could not deal with the stress and psychological damage were simply consumed by them. They were swallowed up in their guilt and disgust and eventually died, or went insane. Well, completely insane to a point that they couldn't distinguish between a kunai and a pillow. After all, all ANBU who survived the first few years were already a little insane.

The thing was, Saiji hadn't done anything that would try and get them stronger. He hadn't tried to get them adjusted and help them cope with all the pain. He simply hadn't really cared.

Looking at Kakashi, however, made him _want_ to rant and shout at the boy – to make him realise just how foolish and weak he was. Somewhere in his mind, he didn't want to see the kid sitting in a wheelchair and gazing at the birds with empty, glossy eyes like so many other shinobi in the past. Nor did he want to see his bloody heap of a body lying skewed in a battlefield – or worse, in his own bedroom.

Saiji did not understand. It was wholly illogical. But he felt somewhat more at ease now. The kid wasn't an idiot – the look in his eyes just now confirmed it. He had the potential; someone had to just keep him away from walking down that well trodden path to death, even if he had to spit the words into the boy's eyes. He just didn't want the kid to –

Saiji suddenly realised where his thoughts had been leading him to and he groaned aloud, slapping a hand to his masked face. "I need alcohol," he grumbled miserably.

It was another ten minutes before the Genin team arrived. Saiji was leaning against one of the boulders, staring at the mostly clear sky and calculating how many hours he still had before he could drink again. As they approached, Saiji turned his head slightly to observe them. The Jounin's strides were a little stiff, betraying his caution. His three students walked alongside or slightly behind him. He noticed that one of them was already a Chuunin. He was the only one out of the three that didn't immediately show obvious expressions of being intimidated. Children in Konoha were often told that the ANBU were a dark, mysterious group of elite shinobi, who worked in the shadows, and that nothing beautiful would happen if they happened to meet one of the ANBU. The mothers rarely gave any positive impression and advised their children to stay away from them. _And for good reason_, Saiji thought wryly.

"I was informed that this was given as a B rank mission for a Jounin," Saiji said, eyeing the youngsters from behind his mask. The Genin boy seemed to almost bristle, and the girl looked as if she was about to apologise, both of which amused him.

"I was the first Jounin who could move at short notice," Takuya explained. "My students are accompanying me for training."

"Oh," Saiji muttered with a shrug. "Well, this is yours now." He nodded towards the unconscious girl lying at his feet. "She probably won't wake up for another day, so I'd advise you to get her to the orphanage within the next 24 hours."

Takuya nodded, picking up the princess. Saiji was just about to leave when the Chuunin spoke up. "We were told that there would be two ANBU," Hayate said quietly, yet pointedly.

Saiji turned to look at the passive boy, studying him for a moment. He looked to be around thirteen, and his pale skin made him look almost ill. But his eyes were firm, calculating. His statement itself was filled with wariness, which was always a good sign for shinobi.

"The Dog left already," he said simply, and then disappeared. Hayate blinked, staring at the place the ANBU had stood.

"Hayate?" Kazu mumbled.

Takuya knew that thoughtful expression on his student's face. "Hayate," he said. He had seen that look on him before he had gone and passed the Chuunin exam. "_Hayate_." The Chuunin finally turned to face his teacher, who fixed him with a stern gaze. "I've never met a shinobi who has become happy by joining the ANBU. Keep that in mind, all of you."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_You are so pathetically_ weak

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands. He wouldn't deny it, because it was true. Everything that Saiji had said was true. In the end, all of Saiji's seemingly foolish actions had done more good than his own. He had to admit, after careful consideration of what Saiji had actually done, that he really may not have been able to escape without his partner's help. That piece of fact stirred a cold anger in his chest and the chakra leaking from his foot unintentionally splintered one of the tree limbs as he kicked off.

There were other shinobi who were clearly stronger than he was in the world, and he was certain that there were others even stronger than Nadare – who Kakashi had barely managed to scratch. Even Mizore and Fubuki may have been a good match for Kakashi's current strength, had they been in a one on one fight to the death. Sure, he had gotten the mission finished, successfully, but there was a bitter aftertaste in his mouth that he did not enjoy at all.

In the end, it all boiled down to one thing: he was too weak.

He needed to get stronger.

Kakashi did not slow down the pace as he began to cool his head. He still had a good few hours before he would reach Konoha, and now, he didn't have to deal with Saiji's drunken company. The man was probably still in the Port, supplying himself with enough alcohol to last a normal man three days. Kakashi needed to analyse the mission and pick up his flaws and areas of improvement. It was a simple, straightforward task, which most would shrug to and mutter that it was not very difficult. But Kakashi knew from past experience that a person could only get so self critical before he gave up. And if anything, he didn't have the luxury to do a luke-warm, half-minded analysis.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

There was a light knock on Kouyama's office door and he distractedly called the person in. Horie Keiji stepped briskly inside and waited a moment until his superior was finished with whatever he had been reading. Kouyama did not look up until he finished reading a mission report to one of the more dangerous missions. Then he raised his eyes and the two nodded to each other in silent greeting. His question hung unspoken in the air.

"The Dog has just returned from his mission," Keiji said simply.

"Send him in," Kouyama replied immediately. Keiji nodded and left the office, closing the door softly behind him. Kouyama had heard from Katsura that their mission had most likely succeeded. But he was more interested in the process than the outcome. It was to be expected that such a standard mission was succeeded. It was the Hatake boy's progress that had caught his interest over the past month. According to Kenzo and the other ANBU training instructors, Kakashi's development was something to admire. It was their job, after all, to look for the shinobi with the potential to rise the ranks of the ANBU and remain mentally stable. It was more difficult to raise such a soldier than one would imagine, and Kouyama knew this all too well. Perhaps the boy was the one they were looking for.

The shinobi in question walked into the office a moment later after a brief knock. Kouyama assessed the boy's appearance, more out of habit than anything else. He looked to be uninjured, save a few, minor cuts along his shoulders and the base of his neck. It was clear that he had been in a fight or two, judging from the way his uniform was rumpled and slightly burnt in places, and it was clear that he was fatigued. Nevertheless, he stood straight and alert, his hands clasped behind his back and his feet planted firmly on the ground. His one open eye stared at the wall beyond Kouyama.

"Where is the Boar?" Kouyama asked after a moment of silence.

"We returned separately," Kakashi replied. "I do not know when he will be back."

"I see. Then you may give your report when ready," Kouyama said. It was only occasionally that shinobi were told to verbally give a report on their missions. It was usually written out, checked over by the superiors and if they wished to have an elaborated explanation on something, the shinobi was called upon. Though it was unexpected, the young soldier did not hesitate at the command.

"Upon arrival at the Kazahana Castle, I confronted the lord when he was alone," Kakashi began in a monotone. "I inquired a few things concerning the mission as well as a few unnecessary questions. I checked the castle for its defences and weaknesses, distracted with the possible coup d'etat, which no doubt shifted my attention from the real purpose of the mission. When the assault began, I was involved in a pointless conversation with the Boar, and I failed to secure the princess's protection. By the time I found her, the lord had been killed and she, captured by the enemy. The lord's death foolishly diverted my attention from the princess and I allowed my worthless emotions to overcome my action. Once I managed to free the princess, one of the Snow ninjas, holding more skill than the rest, confronted me. As I was too caught up in trying to escape the castle, I failed to assess the situation well enough, and ended up fleeing with the princess instead to attempting to take down the potential threat when I had the chance."

Kouyama was slightly surprised to hear the critical report, but listening with interest. It was quite obvious that the boy had gone back and analysed the course of the mission with a very self-critical eye. It was important for a shinobi to keep a check on flaring egoism, and Kouyama was amused that Kakashi felt the need to suppress his vanity. The report continued.

"The Snow ninja was then joined by two others, and it became clear that they were more powerful than myself. At the time, I attempted to reason that I was burdened with the princess, and therefore, could not defeat them. I had allowed my actions to be controlled by my emotions once again. I lost my mask to the three Snow-nins, and I ran away, leaving all three of them alive. The escape from the castle could not have been accomplished without the Boar's help, due to the fact that I was too distracted during my earlier patrols of the castle. I met up with the Boar at the docks and we took the first ship back to the Port where the princess was handed over to the Jounin. End of report by the Dog."

Kouyama was silent for a little while, thinking over what he had just heard. The eye that held his gaze during the course of the report was now back to staring at the wall. "You are not very satisfied with the result of your mission, despite its eventual success," he said finally, fully aware that it was not a question.

"There were too many flaws on my part, sir," Kakashi replied.

"And what do you intend to do about it?"

There was a slight pause, though it was not long enough to deem as hesitation. "I intend to get stronger, sir."

Kouyama slowly smiled, satisfied with the response. He had known too many shinobi who complained and mulled over their obvious lack of skill, and yet did not quite know how to get over the problem. Or worse were the ones who thought they could get no stronger. Kouyama believed that a shinobi of Konoha knew no limit to their strength. The soldier standing in front of him knew this, perhaps instinctively.

"Agent Dog, you are dismissed until further notice," he said in a clipped voice that indicated that the discussion was finished. Kakashi bowed quickly and left wordlessly. Kouyama stared at the closed door for a moment longer, and decided that the mission had turned out more interesting than he had thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Saiji was not pleased as he trudged down the stairs of the ANBU Headquarters. Upon his arrival into the building, he had been greeted with two bucket loads of water over his head by the Hawk and the Sparrow. With every step he took, his sandals gave a distinct squelch and the water dripped from both his robe and his hair. His mask was turned to the back of his head and he loosely held a bottle of sake in his left hand, occasionally bringing it to his lips to take a sip. The sun was already high in the sky, marking midmorning, and so he only met one or two ANBU agents, who he ignored and was ignored by.

With slow, lazy steps, he walked down the dimly lit corridors towards the office he was expected to go to. Once he reached the closed door, he didn't bother knocking and simply threw his weight onto it, his free hand groping clumsily at the knob, which he found after a few moments. As his support gave way, he almost fell onto the floor, but saved himself with a few staggering stumbles. Once inside the office, he slammed himself against the door again, effectively closing it with a soft bang, and then he slid down onto the ground, taking another swig from his bottle.

Kouyama looked up from his work and sighed at the sight of the drunken shinobi. But he had to admit, he had expected no less, and he was even slightly surprised that he hadn't had to force Saiji into the HQ. Nevertheless, it was a pathetic sight.

"You obviously took your time coming back, Saiji," he said, placing his pen down and resting his chin onto his propped up hands. "Hatake got back late yesterday afternoon."

Saiji snorted with disgust. "As if I'd give a damn about that bloody whelp," he sneered.

"I see you got on fairly well," Kouyama chuckled, rather amused. Then the smile disappeared and he continued with a serious tone. "You may report when ready, Agent Boar."

Saiji looked up from the ground and fixed his superior with a half-lidded stare and considered disobeying. He was in no mood to be sitting here, giving clipped reports of the stupid mission. He had to write it up in any case, which was just a pain in the neck. Then again, he didn't think the old geezer would ever let him go without getting what he wanted, and that would terrible, since the sake bottle was starting to become a little too empty. He sighed, wiping the water away from his face and combed his fingers roughly through his soaking hair.

"We got there, I distracted the enemy while the Pup found the target, disposed of the lord's personal possession when he was killed, left the castle when the coup succeeded, waited for the Pup at the docks, sent a message back here, then gave the target to the Jounin at the Port," Saiji explained in a bored drawl. "Now after _that_, is another story, which I could tell you in far more interesting detail – "

"That will not be necessary," Kouyama cut off. He was pleasantly surprised at the detail Saiji had offered instead of the 'I went there, did the mission, then came back' report he had received for the past two jobs the Boar had done. It actually sounded as if Saiji had acted as some kind of back-up for Kakashi, which was more than Kouyama could have hoped for.

"Elaborate on the Dog's performance," he said.

Saiji let out a bark of a mirthless laughter. "What would you care? As long as the mission was accomplished, you shouldn't have anything to complain about."

"That is true," Kouyama said patiently. "But I seem to have taken a personal interest in Hatake. I would like to know how he did, Saiji."

"So you can raise him into your model soldier, use him for all his worth and then throw him away when he can't serve you anymore?" Saiji spat. "I've seen you dump away all those other shinobi you've 'taken a personal interest in'. You're just a cold, ruthless manipulator, Kouyama-san."

"You cannot possibly expect me to praise and coddle the agents all the time. This is the ANBU, not the Academy. But Saiji, you keep surprising me today. Why are you so reluctant on answering my question? Did Hatake influence your heart, perhaps?"

"And you knocked your head when you fell out of bed this morning, perhaps?" Saiji mocked. At the back of his mind, a small voice of reason was telling him that he was walking over very thin ice, but he pointedly ignored it. The old geezer was _so_ going to get it, after all the years Saiji had to put up with him. "Why are you so interested in the whelp anyways? I doubt he strip danced for your pleasures, though I suppose you hire _someone_ to do that."

"Be careful with your words, Toyoaki Saiji," Kouyama warned quietly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "As for your question, you probably know why I'm interested in Hatake. The boy is sixteen and I have reason to believe that he is still not half as strong as he can be. Moreover his history as a serving shinobi is something to admire. He has the experience, the potential, the Sharingan, and most importantly, his personality is beginning to develop into that of a perfect soldier – he has the ability to cut his body away from his mind; he had become an emotionless fighter. You above all people should know very well from experience that emotions end up breaking a shinobi in the ANBU."

Saiji knew he was talking about more than avengers. And it was true. There were only a select few shinobi who could deliberately kill an innocent child or woman and walk away from it as if nothing had happened. Almost everyone would simply break from the psychological strain, and Saiji knew he would be one of them. Luckily enough, even the ANBU hardly ever received such missions.

"He's not as great as you give him credit for, you know," Saiji muttered after almost a minute of tense silence. He stared at the ground and raised the bottle to his lips to take another sip of the alcohol. "He's still bound to his emotions to a certain extent and he's dragging something from his past. His control over the Sharingan isn't perfect yet, and his combat skills are still lacking. He also can't make the correct decisions at the crucial times, though that could just be his emotions getting in the way. Unless he overcomes these problems, you're not going to get what you want."

"I see," Kouyama said slowly, thinking about what he had just heard. "But if he _does_ overcome them…"

Saiji slowly lifted his eyes to meet his superior's gaze. "You're going to get the strongest and most feared killing machine that ANBU has ever produced since Konoha began."

Kouyama could not have said it any better. If Kakashi managed to prove himself capable of doing just that, his name would most likely line up with the Legendary Sannin and the White Fang. And Kouyama knew that in times of peace, the ANBU needed someone like that to keep its standard high.

Saiji pushed himself to his feet with a little sway and dug his hand into his wet, sticky robe, looking for something in one of the pockets. "But, Kouyama-san," he said as he continued to probe around "in return for that, you're going to get the most psychologically fucked up shinobi that Konoha will ever know. You know that, don't you?"

Finally finding what he was searching for, Saiji pulled out a folded piece of paper that was slightly soaked through, though not enough to make it unreadable. He smirked at his superior and threw his formal resignation letter onto the man's desk with a small _splat_.

As he turned around and walked out the door, Saiji waved his free hand over his shoulder and called, "I'm outta here, old man!"

Then the door banged shut and Saiji sauntered unhurriedly down the corridor. _Now all you have to do is find your own answer, Pochi_.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

See now, my updates aren't that bad when I have my muse!

Thanks for reading! Comments are always welcome!!

.LinSetsu.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty-One: **

As the warm sun was beginning to dip towards the west, Kakashi stood in front of the large Memorial. He hadn't been there long, only a few minutes. It had been several weeks since his return from the Snow Country and he had not had any contact from Saiji since then. He had briefly heard word that the man had left the ANBU and was back in the Jounin ranks, but Kakashi took little interest in the subject.

Kakashi reached out with his left hand and lightly touched the cold, black stone. In a haze, he saw Kazuma's robed back as he faced the Kyuubi, and then glimpsed Sousetsu's body in the castle. Kakashi narrowed his eye and reached down with his other hand to the holster strapped to his leg. Flicking out a kunai, he twirled it around his finger once and then clamped his hand over the blade, tightly. The sharp edges dug into his gloved hand, cutting through the thin material and into his skin. The pain helped to withdraw him from the memories as his left hand slipped away from the stone. He concentrated on the pain, feeling his pulse pump gently in his hands as the glove slowly absorbed the blood. What it didn't manage to soak up dripped between his fingers and onto the ground.

_I can't keep myself tied down to the past. I need to forget in order to move forward – to get stronger. That's why…Kazuma-sensei, Midori, Obito…I'm not going to come back here anymore. I'm going to get stronger, no matter what it will do to me or what it will make me. _

His hand tightened over the kunai making him wince a little. Then in one deft motion, he hitched the weapon up a little so that he only held the tip of the blade, and then he flung it towards the line of trees, where it struck with a dull thud. He turned from the stone to stare at the trees that were beginning to be engulfed by shadows.

"What are you looking at?" Kakashi asked in a quiet, cool voice. There was immediately a shuffle in the leaves and a figure dropped down. Interestingly, the dark green spandex did not do a bad job in blending in with the shadows. Gai grinned broadly, walking forward with the usual bounce in his steps.

"As expected of my Eternal Rival!" he said loudly, but a tone of slight uncertainty quickly slipped into his voice. "Although, that kunai was a little sudden." He tentatively touched the thin cut along his cheek that the weapon had created. But it was more of the way his rival had acted in front of the Memorial with that kunai that bothered Gai. Despite what others thought, Gai was not stupid and he knew something was different about the other boy.

"Are you…all right, Kakashi?" he asked a little hesitantly.

"What do you want?" Kakashi said instead, the cold edge to his voice very clear now. Gai felt a little ill at ease having his rival's full attention, especially when that one eye was not as nonchalant and laid back as it usually was. It was more shuttered, dark, and demanding. Nevertheless, it took more than a cold stare to frighten Gai, or so he liked to believe. He regained his posture quickly and he stood up straighter, brandishing his nice-guy pose.

"As your Eternal Rival, I came to challenge you to a duel!" he announced. "In this last month I have trained continuously with Genma to improve my skills. You will not win so easily anymore, I assure you, Kakashi!"

Kakashi slipped his right hand into his pocket when Gai's eyes shifted to look at it for the third time. "Go home, Gai," he said softly as he turned and began to walk away leaving his 'rival' spluttering in disbelief.

"How dare you!" he shrieked. "How dare you turn down our duel in such a cool, youthful way! But I am not letting you go! Today is the fated day that I will win!" Gai sprinted after Kakashi, overtaking him, and then blocked his way. He stood firmly with both arms spread and a determined look on his face. He didn't know why, but somehow, he felt as if Kakashi would never come back again if he let the boy leave now. He had to keep him _there_.

With a great amount of bravado, he threw an accusing finger at Kakashi's face. "I understand your mind! You are just afraid that I will beat you! You are afraid of having someone stronger than you! I – "

The smallest twitch of Kakashi's eye was all the warning Gai got before his rival attacked him. In one bound, Kakashi had closed the distance between them and his right foot came around in a blurred snap kick. From the sheer speed and the ever decreasing visibility, Gai would not have been able to counter the attack and its follow-up had he not gone through the extensive blind-fold training with Genma. He ducked under the kick, barely avoiding it, and then raised both his hands, crossing them at the wrists to block the sudden downward plunge of the heel. He then threw himself to the side to create some distance between them.

"You have at last decided to accept the duel!" he dared to exclaim in triumph, though it was short lived. When Kakashi leapt forward again, Gai went to meet him. He deflected his rival's left punch and then threw his own combination of quick, hard blows which had given even Genma some trouble. But Kakashi evaded them with obvious ease, occasionally slipping in a kick or punch, which Gai managed to block only at the last seconds. It was only when he felt his back bumped into a tree trunk that he finally realised he had been pushed back.

Gathering chakra to his feet, he leapt over Kakashi's left handed strike that would have been ended their fight had he not acted. Breathing quickly, Gai landed several metres behind Kakashi, who only turned around, his right hand still unmoving from his pocket. Gai pushed off the ground again with a burst of chakra and he leapt up into the air, spinning his body at a great velocity. Coming down with increasing momentum, he threw his newly created _Konoha Douriki Senpuu_ down at his rival. His backward kick penetrated Kakashi's striking distance and was well on its way to his face when Gai's eyes widened. It took only a simple thrust of Kakashi's left hand to successfully cancel Gai's entire momentum and attack. Then before he could react, Kakashi's hand gripped his ankle tightly and he was hurled into the tree.

With a rough gasp, Gai crashed against the bark with the wind knocked out of his lungs. Wincing against the pain in his back, he glanced up at Kakashi and his eyes widened again as his rival knelt in front of him and deftly wrapped his fingers firmly around his throat. Though it was not enough to stop his breathing, it was enough for Gai to feel defenceless and intimidated. Kakashi had never gone so far in their duels to stand over Gai in a position where he could easily kill him. A foreign sensation of fear prickled down his spine.

The two locked gazes and Kakashi finally withdrew his bloodied right hand, which he used to pull out a kunai from his holster. He wasn't thinking about anything as he raised the weapon and poised it. This was how it was supposed to be. Someone had engaged him in a fight and lost. Now Kakashi had the right to decide the loser's fate. His hold around that throat felt all too familiar. His grip around hilt of the kunai tightened and he brought it down in one swift, efficient motion of his arm.

"That's enough, stop right there."

A strong hand snapped around Kakashi's wrist that held the weapon and another on his forearm that was still gripped around Gai's neck. Gai slowly slid his eyes away from Kakashi and looked at the shinobi who had suddenly appeared between the two. His almost black hair was tied in a small ponytail near the base of his head and from his position, Gai could make out a round, golden earring on his ear. Though he wore a standard Jounin vest, he immediately recognised the Uchiha crest on the shinobi's long sleeved shirt. The three of them remained very still for another few seconds, and Gai noticed that the man's eyes never left from where they were trained on the kunai.

Kakashi was the first to move. He tugged his right hand free and let his left fall away from Gai's throat as he stood up, briefly meeting Yuki's gaze, which now turned to him. He slipped the kunai back into its holster and slid both his hands into his pockets. Yuki narrowed his eyes and rose to his full height, fixing Kakashi with a warning glare.

"What were you _thinking_?" he breathed dangerously.

"It's not like I was going to kill him," Kakashi responded quietly.

"With that Sakki, you could have fooled me," Yuki pressed. "That did _not_ look like a constructive spar, Hatake."

Kakashi shrugged and said nothing. He turned away from Yuki and his eye paused on the silent Memorial Stone. He felt as if it was staring at him with the same, scolding look that the Uchiha had given him. He averted his eye and walked away, just as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon, plunging everything into complete darkness. There was no moon in the sky, and the stars alone could not lighten the night. As Kakashi leapt away, he sent one last bidding to his lost team mates.

"Please don't watch me," he mouthed in a barely audible tone even to his own ears.

Yuki watched him leave silently and couldn't help but release a small sigh of relief. In truth, he had been downright scared. He had arrived just as the battle had begun and decided to wait for it to finish before meeting Kakashi. But the way Kakashi had fought had disturbed him. It looked like watching the boy fight an enemy and not a friend. There was an unspoken rule in Konoha stating that all training spars were to be done strictly without the intent to kill. All of Kakashi's blows, however, had been placed to deliberately crush the bowl haired kid, who was obviously not half as strong as Kakashi. When Kakashi's sakki had flared dangerously, Yuki moved. He would be damned if he sat still and watched a Konoha shinobi trying to kill a comrade.

Yuki sighed again and glanced at the boy who was still slumped numbly against the base of the tree. "You alright?" he asked.

It took him a moment to realise he was being addressed. "Uh, yeah, yes, I'm fine," he mumbled.

"What's your name?" Yuki asked, hoping to distract him from what he had just experienced.

"Gai," he replied almost automatically. "Maito Gai."

"Are you Hatake's friend?"

"I…" The focus suddenly returned to the boy's eyes, which were cast down. _Bingo_, Yuki thought, and then allowed Gai to continue. "We're rivals…Eternal Rivals. I've known Kakashi for years, and I knew his strength was leagues ahead of mine. But I thought I could catch up to him by working hard. When I heard that Obito had died, I thought sparring could help Kakashi. By challenging him, I thought I could train myself harder to catch up. I know he's a genius and I'm a dead last; he was a Chuunin before I even graduated from the Academy and when I finally made Chuunin, he was already a Jounin. Even now, the rumours…"

Gai clenched his fists, which shook his arms a little as he dropped his head onto one raised knee. He tried to keep his voice steady. "I didn't realise he was so far away."

Yuki lifted his eyes away from the boy and took a few steps back to lean against the tree next to him. He crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his head back to stare up at the dark sky.

"Rivals are very complicated, but at the same time are natural," he said after a pause. "Some get along, others hate each other and even others don't even realise their competing against one another. But in any type of rivalry, rivals aren't there to pull and drag on each other's legs. They're there to help each other grow. Try and think about that, and once you find your answer, you can confront Kakashi again. Until then, I would advise you to stay away from him." _Just in case_, he added silently.

Gai raised his face and thought over the words. Then he nodded once in understanding. Yuki looked down at him and smiled, reaching over to ruffle the boy's strange hair.

"Ah, it's so nice to talk to honest kids," he said playfully as Gai gave an indignant little noise and tried to push his hand away with little success. "Well, good luck, Gai."

He pushed away from the tree and was considering what to do next when the boy spoke up again.

"Who are you?" Gai asked, looking up at him from the ground.

"Yuki," he replied. "Just an acquaintance of Hatake's."

"Then would you know – " Gai paused, chewing his tongue for a moment and wondering if it was right to ask. But curiosity soon got the better of him. "Would you know if the rumours saying Kakashi is in ANBU are correct?"

Yuki glanced over his shoulder at Gai. "Does your rivalry depend on ranks?"

Gai was taken aback for a second, but then shook his head firmly and managed to grin again. "We are Eternal Rivals," he said.

Yuki smiled and then disappeared into the night. Gai waited another minute to make sure his limbs wouldn't fail him, and then he got up and leapt into the trees. The night was still young and their team meeting was at noon the next day. So he headed to his usual training area, trying to push the image of Kakashi's cold eyes away from his mind.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yuki sat silently on a slanted roof that gave him a discrete view of the window of Kakashi's apartment. The boy was sitting on his bed with his back turned to the window reading a thick scroll. Yuki hadn't seen Kakashi since he had talked to him about the Cloud Prison mission. He knew the genius had been sent to the Snow Country and had taken on other missions since then, most of them solo. Seeing the kid almost killing another boy was not a very nice reunion either.

More than once, he had had the urge to request seeing the reports of Kakashi's mission to see if the hushed whispering of the ANBU agents were true. According to them, Agent Dog was going distant – which usually meant that he was becoming more ruthless and cold-blooded in his missions. Yuki had waved them away as mere rumours, until Fuji, one of Yuki's squad subordinates had come back from a joint mission with Kakashi and a few others and told the Uchiha about the change in the Hatake genius. It was true that none of the ANB U were very nice when they were trying to extract information out of a captive on the field, but Fuji had described Kakashi's methods to be almost too thorough. In other words, very, very nasty. Yuki hadn't asked Fuji to elaborate.

Being a squad captain, Yuki had a higher clearance than normal agents, but it wasn't enough to allow him access to mission reports that he had nothing to do with. And Kouyama had seemed rather tight-lipped about the whole business. He hadn't even told Yuki who Kakashi had been partnered with during the Snow Country mission. So it took him a while to track down the people who knew this piece of information, and at length it took him to a Chuunin who had been on watch duty when they had left. He had at first refused to speak up, claiming that he was taught to not spill a word about his duty, so Yuki had been forced to resort to a few threats and taunts. Only a little. It was then that he finally found out that the Dog and the Boar had left together one early morning.

It was only a slight disturbance in the air and the sudden stench of booze that warned the Uchiha of a new arrival.

"Oh, now I get it," a voice drawled behind him. "So _you're_ the one playing good ol' protector and kind guardian."

"I don't think so much alcohol is good for you, Toyoaki-taichou," Yuki responded nonchalantly, tipping his head back until he caught a glimpse of the Jounin standing behind him. "It's only Tuesday, after all."

"Mn, don't worry, this is only my second one this evening. I'm still sober," Saiji said, coming down stand beside Yuki, holding a sake bottle in one hand.

"It's been a while since I've seen you wearing a Jounin outfit," Yuki said. He hadn't gone temporarily deaf when Saiji had made his appearance, but he thought he ought to keep his head clear enough for the argument that was bound to happen. Small talk could work wonders at times.

"And it's been too long since I could kick your ass for all the times you tried to disobey your captain when you were still a rookie," Saiji retorted. Yuki laughed, remembering those days all too well.

"Hey, but that saved the squad on more than one occasion, Taichou."

"Don't call me that, Yuki. I'm not an agent anymore, much less your captain."

"True, but your last mission took you to the Snow Country with Agent Dog, I believe," Yuki said, bringing their conversation back to the original topic.

"I think so," Saiji said, glancing at the window some fifty metres away, beyond which sat a tuft of familiar silver hair. "But I don't remember much of it, thanks to the great drinks they had up there."

"What did you say to him, Taichou?" Yuki asked, his voice unconsciously hardening a little. "I know that your words are often double-edged."

"You're sounding an awful lot like Kouyama-san, you know that?" Saiji said, taking a sudden interest in the bushy cat across the street, sitting atop a vending machine.

"Do I now?" Yuki mused quietly. "And where did you make such a connection? Maybe I really do look like your superior with the way you cling onto your drinks like that."

"The way you keep prying for information about that whelp," Saiji replied, blatantly ignoring the latter part of Yuki's speech.

"I can tell he's about to break. It's the least I could do to try and prevent it happening."

"For what? If he breaks, that just means he wasn't fit for the job. You're only pretending to care about him because you feel guilty that your cousin (Obito, was he called?) died. You're overlapping that whelp with your dead cousin, that's all."

"Then what are you trying to do? You're just trying to drag him down with you since you lost your reason of living. It's so typical of avengers, especially those who come back empty-souled after they've exacted their sweet little revenge."

"Watch it, little brat," Saiji hissed softly. Yuki took no heed of the warning.

"You never really cared about anything other than your revenge, your strength and the missions. Now you're suddenly interested enough in a kid to try and push him over the edge. If it's not your plan to take him down with you, what do you want from Hatake?"

Saiji remained quiet, staring at the top of the vending machine that was now bare. The silence continued for several minutes, both men somewhere deep in thought. Neither of them moved so much as a finger, as if they were frozen still. Only the light breeze and the distant sounds of a lively village reminded them that time was still ticking constantly by.

Yuki went back to that sentence that had stung the most. _You're overlapping that whelp with your dead cousin_. He knew it would be stupid to try and deny it, since that was really the reason why Yuki had taken to watch over Kakashi. But now it was different. Now, he sincerely cared about the boy, because he saw him as a friend and almost a little brother. It had already occurred to him long ago that Kakashi wasn't looking for someone to stand protectively at his side. He was simply looking for something to live for, and that was something Yuki couldn't give him. He knew that, kept reminding himself of that, but it still didn't mean he could stop caring. _I'm probably just an idiot_, he thought hopelessly.

"He won't break," Saiji said suddenly, breaking the motionless silence.

"And how do you know that?" Yuki asked bitterly.

Saiji shrugged. "I just do."

"He almost _killed_ a Chuunin friend this evening," Yuki said, though he felt as if Kakashi hadn't acknowledged Gai as a 'friend' just yet.

Saiji smothered a laugh with a snort. "I thought I taught you not to always jump to conclusions," he said with a hint of amusement.

"I don't think I was mistaken," Yuki said, not finding it at all funny.

Saiji sighed and sat down beside the Uchiha. "Look, all I did was tell him the truth. What he needs now is not your coddling, but the truth. Let him do what he wants for a while. If he can't handle this, he's not even worth your worry."

"What would you know?"

"Yuki, he's been on active duty since he was what, five, six? He's the White Fang Hatake Sakumo's son and was the student of Yondaime Hokage-sama. He and your cousin set a record of becoming the youngest Jounin at eleven. He's been in war and stared death in the eyes. He faced down the entire Uchiha Clan and is working on mastering that Sharingan, which was deemed impossible. Hell, he was on the ANBU recruit list for four years before he finally joined. Do you seriously think he's going to snap?"

Yuki bit the inside of his lip and reminded himself that he had been the first one to acknowledge Kakashi as a Jounin. "They're going to _use_ him though, like an emotionless android."

"You give him too much credit. He's just another agent among so many others. This isn't a gang rape."

"You know just as well as I do how the ANBU works. They pick the rookies and the young ones to do the most dangerous jobs – the suicide missions. They try to keep the veterans alive so that they'll be able to perform well on the more important jobs. With his skills and mentality and background he's going to be a sitting duck."

"Wanna bet?"

Yuki frowned at the sudden change in flow of the conversation. "What?"

"Want to bet on whether or not Hatake Kakashi will mentally break down?" Saiji explained.

"You know I don't like playing around with other being's mentalities," Yuki said. "And I'm not going to do something as disgusting as betting and hoping on him breaking."

"Fine, like I care," Saiji scoffed. "Then we can do it this way: if he doesn't break, you win, in which case I'll…" He paused to think of something. "I'll become a Jounin teacher." Yuki tried not to laugh at the image of Saiji trying to take care of a group of young Genin.

"If he does break," Saiji continued, "I'll take the responsibility and kill myself."

Yuki snapped his head to look at him disbelievingly. "There's nothing in it for you then," he said, attempting to point out Saiji's lose-lose probability just in case the alcohol had gotten the better of his rational mind.

"Well just listen 'till the end," he said a little impatiently. "The results will be mine to bear, but the process is your job. In other words, you're to swear not to get in his way for at least the next two years. What about it?"

"You're drunk out of your mind, Taichou," Yuki muttered with a slow shake of his head. "Why are you so interested in him?"

"Maybe for the same reasons as you," he mumbled under his breath only loud enough for Yuki to barely catch. Then he turned to face the Uchiha and smirked. "So, you in or not?"

Yuki just frowned at him for the longest time, which was long enough for Saiji to get impatient again. He rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Trust me, Yuki, that pup isn't going to snap if you do as I say and stay away from him," Saiji said with a hint of exasperation. "In a few years time, come look for me in the training fields and you'll find Team Saiji, just as promised."

Yuki looked up at the worst captain he had been assigned while still a rookie in the ANBU. He could swear he saw a gleam in Saiji's eyes, which told him clearly that the other man was very much enjoying this. He then looked back at the window and found Kakashi gone.

"Just two years?" Yuki asked quietly.

Saiji's smirk grew. "Just two years."

Yuki could hear the triumphant laughter in that confirmation. Then he turned and glared up at the Jounin, who merely grinned.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Did I tell you my muse has returned home? Unfortunately, this will be the last update for a little while since I'm utterly screwed if I don't start studying now.

I'm sure some of you have picked up the little hints in this chapter about the timline that will follow in the next chapter (I think I just gave it away), so a small break will work well, I think. Anyways, please check my profile for my ramblings!

Translations:

Konoha Douriki Senpuu – Konoha dynamic whirlwind  
Sakki – killing intent  
Taichou – captain

Thank you all for reading!!

.LinSetsu.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Wow…just wow. It's been over a whole year and I still can't believe it. Well, I don't know how many of you wonderful people stuck around, but I really can't begin to tell you grateful I am for those of you, if any, that did.

And I'm sorry if this chapter is kind of a disappointment. I can only hope to get back some of my muse while I go.

But one important thing: The rating of _Touketsu no Namida_ is going up. Not anything in the sexual sense, but there will be gore and blood and violence. I've thought about it for a year and I think it's pretty much unavoidable when writing about this era in Kakashi's life.

Anyways, enough said. Here's the next chapter!

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

There was nothing as beautiful as open warfare. Actually, it would have been even better had there been more parties. As it was, it was slightly unfortunate, that the battle being raged in the rocky plain below consisted of only the Leaf and Cloud forces.

Noda Akahito carefully watched the silent field from his elevated position near the top of the mountain that ran the length of the plain on the Cloud side. The battle had begun at sunrise under a clear sky, but as midday drew closer, dark clouds rolled down from the North, carried by a lazy wind. Perhaps, Noda mused, the heavens knew that they soon required rain to wash away all the blood that had been spilled. _And the blood that will be spilled from now_, he added silently.

At the moment, both sides had retreated; the Clouds behind the wall of naturally jutting boulders, and the Leaf to their trenches on the other side of the scarred field. The ground wasn't as badly disfigured as in battles with the Rock ninjas, but most of the grass was burned down and the many rocks were often cracked or splintered, as if hit by powerful lightning. In between these lay the bodies of both sides, but Noda took little interest in that fact. Dead shinobi were no longer usable and were, therefore, just fallen pieces, which were a waste of his time to even think about.

It was the ones that could still move that held his attention. They were the pawns that he controlled. He had the power to move them to the best positions. _He_ held the key to winning not only this battle but the war against Konoha. The shinobi who fought below were only second important in the whole scheme – a fight cannot be won with just beast strength. It was the _brains_ that mattered.

"It's been an hour already," muttered the shinobi who stood next to him with crossed arms. Dressed in a dark hakama and a tight-fitting, black shirt, he was a high ranking Elite shinobi, who was waiting with Noda for two reasons. One of them was as a simple guard along with two other Elites, who stood motionless on either side of him. The second reason was going to be fulfilled soon.

"Patience," Noda replied with a crooked smile, "is a virtue, Ito-san."

The Elite turned his head sharply towards Noda with his eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to retort, but seemed to reign in his irritation, and resorted to simply glare at the Konoha trenches. Noda chuckled softly, and then tipped his face back to squint at the clouds and the faint glow of the sun somewhere above.

"It's about time," he said quietly, dropping his gaze back to the battlefield. The three Elites stood up a little straighter and Ito dropped his arms to his sides. Another three minutes ticked by in tense silence, and then the scenery below them warped within seconds.

Half a dozen squads leapt out from behind the rocks, and only an eyes-blink later, they were met by a slightly larger amount of Leafs. The small figures were instantly interwoven, and from the distance, Noda and Ito could not distinguish one from the other. There was no pause in the field, no hesitation, as the shinobi moved in silence with deadly speed from one enemy to the next. It was beautiful.

Just then, a Cloud messenger landed in front of Noda and bowed once very quickly. He was still young, and from the way his eyes jumped from one side to the other, it was obvious he was petrified. Ito and the other two Elites slowly eased their hands away from the sword hilt they had immediately grasped and looked expectantly at the boy.

"They told me to tell you that the preparations are ready and on standby," he blurted in a hitched voice.

"Good," Noda said, his eyes never leaving the battle, which showed that Konoha was pushing back the Clouds at a considerable rate. Some of them were already fighting right in _that_ area. "Very good."

"Noda – " Ito began, but was quickly cut off.

"Not yet," Noda said, his hand flying up to push down Ito's raised arm. It was useless to just wreck havoc without a proper plan. Just a little more, just a little closer… Everything else was forgotten as Noda watched the fighting groups below, his eyes bright against his slightly aging face.

"Just a little more and Konoha is finished," he whispered in barely concealed excitement.

The large, invisible circle of finely threaded chakra in the middle of the plain was an explosive seal that had been painstakingly wrought during the battle without the Leafs noticing. There were four Elites mingled in the fight who would activate the seal at Ito's signal, and once that was done, the rest was history.

But he was waiting for the best moment. Merely killing the first ones that stepped into that ring was pointless. In order to win, one had to slit the throat of the enemy, not just stab him in the stomach. The signal would only go up once most of the Konoha forces had gone past the middle. That way, they would be cut right in half with no means of support or contact. Konoha was going to be annihilated –

"Not if I kill you now."

Noda froze at the cold voice behind him, but before he could turn around, his body jerked violently. He glanced down to see a blade protruding from under his chin and then the world went black.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Several things happened in the short seconds that followed Noda Akahito's death. Ito wasn't given the time to be shocked to see the messenger standing behind Noda's fallen body, or wonder how they hadn't even felt a killing intent from the assassin. As soon as the corpse touched the ground, all three Elites had their swords pierced through the boy. But even as the boy turned into a dry log, Ito briefly felt the tip of a cold blade across his throat, and then he didn't feel anything at all.

With soft curses, the remaining two Elites lunged at the lean ANBU who appeared from behind Ito as his body too, fell to the ground. But they hesitated for a fraction of a second when they recognised the seals the masked ANBU was making. It was in disbelief that the two Elites were suddenly confronted with a lightning technique of their own Hidden Village, and by the time they remembered a certain name borne on rumours, an intense rock slide was already upon them.

"Copy Ninja Hatake – !"

At the base of the mountain, several shinobi spared the rumble overhead a second or two before turning back to the battle. It wouldn't be until a while later that an injured Elite would fall down with sickening news.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

To the far corner of the trenches where the Jounin and Chuunin would rarely stumble to, was a group of fifteen ANBU, fully armed and masked, seemingly oblivious to the sounds of the raging battle. Some were leaned up against the dirt walls with their arms crossed across their chests, while others were squatted or sitting on the floor. In the middle of the group sat an owl-masked ANBU on a wooden box with his elbows leaning on his knees. Not a word was uttered.

Then as one, all the agents abruptly reached for their weapons and tensed as a figure dropped down in the middle of the group and in front of the ANBU sitting on the box. In an instant, the tip of the Owl's katana was pricking his throat threateningly. No one relaxed even when they saw the dog mask and silver hair.

"Speak," the Owl demanded in a cold voice.

"Code C940 J4L6 Code End," the Dog replied in a monotone.

"Glad you could make it back, Agent Hound."

"As ordered," came the prompt reply.

Only once the double codes were recited, were the sword withdrawn and the rest of the ANBU slipped back into casual poses. The Owl struck the katana into the ground and behind his mask, Tanaka Hatori, the leader of the ANBU in this operation, took a closer look at the Dog. There were no indications of struggle from the clean uniform save a few small flecks of drying blood.

"Report," Hatori ordered without wasting any time.

"The target was killed along with one Elite who was a part of the plan," Kakashi said. "As predicted, they have created an explosive seal in the battlefield that can be activated by five Elites – one of which I've killed. But it doesn't mean another can't take up his place."

Hatori stared at his feet for a few moments in thought. They had known the Clouds were up to something by the way some of their shinobi had acted strangely in the battle – instead of engaging the enemy, they seemed have been creating something over the ground. In any case, the Hound's primary mission was to infiltrate the enemy lines and assassinate the Cloud strategist, Noda Akahito, who had given Konoha a hard time for the past two years since the war between the Leaf and Cloud had begun.

Hatori rose slowly to his feet and the rest of the ANBU stood at ready.

"The Clouds will hear of Noda's death soon, if they haven't already," he said, addressing all those present. "They will lose their calm for a while, which is when we get a chance to end this battle. I will talk to Uchiha and Inuzuka about the seal. If you see any lost looking Elites, put them out of their misery. Questions?"

Silence, except for a rumble of thunder from the battle.

"Dismissed!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mitarashi Anko vaulted over an enemy ninja and pulled a tight flip while her hands flew through a sequence of seals. _Kuchiyose no jutsu: Seienjashu_. Twin snakes slithered down her sleeves and as she landed, they shot out in opposite directions, their fangs bared and dripping with poison. A satisfied smirk pulled Anko's lips at the sound of at least two Clouds suffering the nips of her kuchiyose, but it soon disappeared with the arrival of a hostile presence behind her.

Snatching a kunai, the Chuunin swirled around, muscles already bunched and ready to strike, only to be beaten by a dark blur. For a fraction of a second, Anko hesitated, and in that moment, she watched an ANBU ramming a knee into an Elite's throat. Just as quickly, the ANBU withdrew, and Anko suddenly recognised the thin blade protruding from the masked shinobi's metal shin guard. It was slick with blood, and no sooner had the ANBU dropped back to the ground, did the Elite crumple into a heap of dead flesh.

"I could have handled him," Anko sniffed with a scowl. The ANBU turned a little and she guessed the mask was meant to represent some kind of canine. They were all rather ambiguous.

"Drop…" The rest of the sentence was drowned out by an explosion somewhere close-by, and then the silver-haired ANBU was engaged in a deadly sword fight, and Anko herself became preoccupied trying to fend off two larger shinobi who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

As she ducked and spun with a sharp kick, she glimpsed the silver hair again passing close behind her. "What?" she shouted, but received no reply.

Then her attention snapped back to her two enemies the instant one of their shuriken grazed her arm, tearing open her sleeve. The rush of adrenaline numbed whatever pain there was, as Anko darted to the right, and then left, dodging everything – weapon, fist, jutsu and all – that came flying at her.

For a second, she lost sight of her foes, and used the opportunity to sprint forward, intending to dive further into the ranks of Clouds. It was dangerous and her life would be at high risk, but reason and logic had long been banished from her mind. There was no life here, only death. It was just a matter of whether one was captured by it or not. And Anko was not afraid of death – she had walked side-by-side with something far worse and terrifying than death ever would be.

But that too, was a memory long gone. Here, now, it was the battle, it was the fight, it was the necessity to bring Konoha to victory –

A flicker of movement to her left. An arm flung out into her path and she shied away from it, but it still caught her by the shoulder, bringing her to a grinding halt. It was the ANBU.

"Idiot! What – " She didn't bother finishing the snarled question as she twisted out of his grasp and hurried to face the enemy she could feel on her heels. Then her words died down for a whole new reason when all she saw was the very same ANBU standing over two bloody bodies.

"Fall back!" the ANBU snapped before Anko could recollect herself, "Back to the trenches!"

The words penetrated. "Are you crazy?" she hissed, angry at the incredulity of what the ANBU was implying. "We've almost got them! Just one more push and – "

"This is an order!"

The command was emphasized with another two bodies falling down on either side of her. She was too frustrated to wonder how he had killed them when it looked like he hadn't even moved a step.

But before she could come up with a retort or an excuse to disobey, another ANBU appeared and took in the situation with a glance. He had a mask that resembled a somewhat abstract badger.

"Drop back," he said, already scanning the rest of the chaotic battlefield. Then he had to shout to be heard over the roar of some elemental technique. "It's a trap! Gather as many as you can and fall back to the trenches. Go, now!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The two ANBU did not wait to watch the Chuunin leave. With barely a shared glance, they leapt away in different directions.

Kakashi quickly made his way deeper into to the Cloud forces. His mind was in a state of familiar blankness. Hardly a thought crossed his consciousness. Meaningless sounds were tuned out – cries of pain and despair – leaving only the shrill whistles of projectiles slicing the air and the drumming of feet on dry soil.

It was easy. Kakashi could accept wars and battles like he accepted the need to breathe. He didn't need to think about why or how or what – it just _was_.

The Badger was back. His left hand was twitching in a series of coded ANBU sign-language. Kakashi caught half of it, but understood enough. _Elite, eliminate, need cover._

A swift, horizontal swipe of index and middle finger. _Affirmative_.

The Badger feigned a hit and went down, and at the same time, Kakashi poured a generous amount of his bloodline chakra into the katana, drawing the attention of many of the Clouds. For an instant, they hesitated, caught between the awe and fear, but the moment was quickly broken when a rash, already half-dying ninja lunged. His head flew clear from his body three steps into his attack.

The sword moved with a trail of white glow in its wake, almost a visible dome around the ANBU's lean figure. But soon, the katana alone was not enough, and when it pierced a kunoichi's stomach, Kakashi left it there and copied a jutsu from the Cloud standing closest to him.

A burst of black lightning that crackled deep into the surrounding shinobi. The split second of incomprehension of facing their own technique became fatal, and Kakashi used the precious time to send another streak flashing wide.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

What was happening? What was wrong? Where were the orders?

Elite kunoichi Mizora Kaoru had a million questions as to _why the hell the operation hadn't been executed yet_, but instead of screaming them out loud, she took out her boiling fury on the foolish Leafs that braved to venture into their ranks. They were no better than a skilled Chuunin, and were really not worth her time. She toyed with them, striking them down and waiting patiently for them to rise so she could rub their faces into the dirt again.

Deep down, she wondered when she had become so cruel. Was it the endless war and the death of her little sister in the first major battle, or her promotion to the Elite three months prior, or the suicide mission she had been assigned to two days ago? Maybe all of them combined.

She was here to die and she was going to take down as many filthy Leafs as she could with her. If only they would give the goddamned _sign_.

There was a struggle going on close to her left, and Kaoru was deeply tempted to go and find out who was lasting more than three seconds in these areas. Her interest peaked when she saw the dark lightning and she ran a tongue over her lips in anticipation.

She inched closer and closer, until she was almost into striking distance, when she froze. A silent, barely visible firework spiralled into the sky and exploded in a small burst of light.

It felt as if the whole battlefield paused to watch the brief flash, some recognising it as a code, others getting an instinctive warning in their gut and a few who had no clue what was going on.

A maniac grin contorted Kaoru's face as her hands came together in a set of complicated seals. This was it. This was victory. This was revenge –

Something at her feet jerked and it was only her honed reflex that kept the blade from embedding itself in her throat. It still cut deeply into the side of her jugular and through the spurt of blood, Kaoru could see an ANBU mask.

Her lips peeled back from her teeth in a grimacing sneer. Dirty little bastard, playing dead. Maybe it was the hatred or the anger or the simple relief of finally being free from this nightmare that allowed the dying Elite to finish the last seal and send a jolt of chakra into the trap that lay right at her feet.

She was already dead when the Badger scrambled away, shouting and screaming to _run_. The ground lit up in an eerie glow of a huge seal, before the entire battlefield, Leaf and Cloud, was swallowed up in one massive explosion.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

.LinSetsu.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Even before full consciousness, Kakashi knew where he was. The smell of blood and disinfectant permeated the air, assaulting his keen nose enough to make him want to gag. His hearing recovered next, and he picked up low groans and grunts of pain. Every once in a while, someone would scream, high pitched and agonised, unable to control their own voice until their breath ran out or someone stuffed something into their mouths.

Kakashi knew it all before he finally opened his eyes and stared up at the dark green roof of the field medical tent. Without thought, he closed the Sharingan. So he had survived – again. He wasn't disappointed at finding himself alive. It wasn't as if he had gone into battle seeking death, but he had been prepared for it, and wouldn't have thought it all too bad to die in the line of duty. But alive, he could still be of some use to the Village.

He dipped his head a little to the side. There were no beds, just sheets of plastic laid out on the dirt where ninjas lay in varying conditions of injuries. Medic-nins moved with practiced efficiency from one patient to the next, checking up and healing those they could save, and sparing a comforting word or touch to those who were beyond their help. Kakashi noticed that the medics were spending less time on bandaging and healing.

Not many would make it out of the tent alive.

It had been a horrific explosion. Kakashi didn't remember much of it. The world had simply blown up under their feet, blasting everything away. A blinding flash of white and red; scorching heat; flames; the Badger…

"Raidou!" someone called out.

Kakashi pushed down on his elbows and levered himself upright. His head throbbed sharply and the ground seemed to tilt dangerously. With a grimace, he lifted a hand and pressed it against his bandaged temple. He didn't require the assistance of memory to know that something had struck his head during the detonation – hard. Surprisingly, he was otherwise mostly unharmed: a few areas of angry burns along his arms and side, and he guessed several cuts on the back of his shoulders, most likely the result of flying debris.

So he turned his attention to the voices to his left. Two medics were leaning over a body, their hands alight with chakra and faces beaded with perspiration. The wounded shinobi was heavily burned, most of his face covered with damp bandages that were staining red. He didn't seem to be conscious, which was never a good sign, and a third ninja was kneeling by his head, chewing almost obsessively on a senbon and calling the other's name, trying to rouse him. Two masks lay on the ground: the Tiger and the Badger.

"Come on Raidou, don't make me look stupid by talking to myself," Genma was saying. Then he suddenly noticed Kakashi for the first time and a ghost of a smirk flashed across his weary face.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Genma said.

"How is he?" Kakashi asked, ignoring his comment.

"Sleeping Beauty II hasn't found the right prince yet."

Genma's newly found twisted sense of humour was not something he needed at this moment of time. He looked down at Raidou, and then flicked his hard gaze back to Genma. "How soon will he be able to return to active duty?"

Genma's expression changed within a heartbeat. His eyes narrowed in open anger and glared at Kakashi while his teeth clamped sharply on the senbon. "He just got half his body burned for fuck's sake, Kakashi, and you're worrying about when he'll be able to fight again?" he asked incredulously, his voice rising gradually until he was almost shouting. "Is that all you care about!"

"If you don't like that, you can quit," Kakashi said softly, his tone frigid. "We don't need half-witted agents who only joined to replace their dead brothers."

Genma's already frayed nerves snapped and he lunged forward before either of the medics could stop him. Kakashi raised a hand to block the straight-forward punch, but it never came. They both looked down to see Raidou clutching Genma's arm weakly. The single visible eye under the layers of bandages was half open, the pupils slightly dilated and unfocused, but awake.

"Stop it, Genma," he whispered hoarsely, his mouth pulled in a taut, thin line. "Calm down."

"Raidou," Genma muttered, his anger drained and replaced by profound relief to find his friend at least conscious.

"Hatake," Raidou continued in his strained voice. "Thanks. I owe you. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Make it quick," Kakashi replied. Genma threw him a glare and Raidou bared his teeth in something between a grin and a grimace.

Without another word, Kakashi picked up the dog mask that lay beside him, then got gingerly to his feet. He swayed for a moment, but regained his equilibrium quick enough, before anyone reached out to support him. On his way out of the busy tent, a medic came to check on him, but he waved her help away.

Genma followed the lone ANBU with his eyes, a scowl still fixed on his face while he absently chewed on the metal in his mouth.

"Bastard," he hissed softly, for more than one reason.

Raidou's lips quirked. "Don't be so mad at him," he said quietly. His breaths were still a little shallow, and he felt like he was in a pool of flame, but the chakra flowing gently into his body was cool and soothing. "You were his friend, right?"

"A long time ago," Genma replied. "Why'd you thank him?"

"'Cause he saved my ass." He was too tired to make full sentences. "Would've been dead if he hadn't been there."

Genma considered this new piece of information, but made no response as Raidou slid his eye back closed. He glanced at the medics, and when they looked back at him, he knew Raidou would live, so he got to his feet and left the tent.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Kakashi grabbed the nearest cloak he could find and wrapped it around himself, effectively covering the ripped uniform and the bandages underneath them. When he found a hood on it, he idly wondered if it had belonged to one of the ANBU. He took the liberty to pull it up over his head and covered his face with the mask.

It wasn't difficult to recognise the location. There wasn't a camp this big within ten kilometres of the border between Fire country and the neutral strip of land where the battle had taken place. There were multiple tents set up, each for various purposes. Shinobi, ranging from Chuunin to ANBU, were scattered around the camp, mostly in small groups or circles. Hunched shoulders and bowed heads were clear indicators of the exhaustion that plagued everyone.

War did that to people.

Kakashi was used to war. He had been born during war, had grown up in war, had known nothing but war until six years ago when the Fourth Hokage had put an end to it. But the concept of peace confused him. 'Peace' only meant that the countries weren't openly fighting each other. Infiltrations and assassinations were still popular missions. The battles were simply waged – mostly by the ANBU – where the people couldn't see them.

Then the Hidden Cloud Village had declared open war against Konoha two years ago. At the time, it had been thought by more than one person, that a certain ANBU mission into the Cloud Prison had failed in concealing their identities, and the Clouds had used that to justify a war. It was later revealed by a recovered spy that the Clouds had been planning an invasion for months prior to their declaration.

As it was, it made little difference to Kakashi. Whether in the open or in the shadows, battles were battles, and wars were wars. He knew how to deal with conflict.

The only problem was, they were lacking in manpower. The Fourth Hokage had ended the last war six years ago. During those six years, much had changed in the ranks of Konoha's ninjas. Many of the shinobi in their prime had died during the last phases of the war. Experienced veterans, who had remained in active duty despite their age for the cause of the war, had finally been able to retire. Six years of retirement was too long for them to be able to return as soldiers.

Yet six years were not long enough for the Village to produce a new generation of shinobi capable of fighting in a war. Sure, they had people like Genma and Raidou and Anko, and though he hadn't seen them, he was sure Gai and his former team were involved, along with many others in their generation. But it just wasn't enough.

Kakashi stopped briefly in front of a large tent, its entrance closed and guarded by two weary Chuunin. Upon seeing his mask, they stepped aside and let him enter.

It was warmer inside, and filled with shinobi. Some were crouched or sitting on the ground, others leaning against metal poles or stacked wooden crates, while a cluster of them surrounded a large table in the centre. A buzz of talk filled the air as the Jounin and ANBU discussed strategy.

No one gave Kakashi more than a glance as he slipped inside, and he settled down on an empty box off to the side, close enough to listen to the debates going on around the table, but far enough so he wouldn't be asked to contribute. It was always the same discussion: should they advance or stay and protect the line. It would be risky to plan an attack, especially since they would be going into enemy territory – anything could await them. Staying put would assure minimal losses in force and it would give them time, no matter how short, to recuperate. But they were going to have to attack in order to win the war. Maybe the Clouds would be willing to settle to negotiations…

Kakashi tensed as someone sat down beside him, intruding his personal space without consent. It was the Owl – Hatori.

"Yo. We were wondering where you were," Hatori said, and if he noticed Kakashi's hand being lowered from where his sword was strapped, he didn't show it. "Thought you got blasted."

"I did," Kakashi replied. Only the _Shunshin no jutsu_ at the last second had prevented both him and Raidou from joining the list of the dead. "What's the situation?"

"Positive. We managed to recall many of our shinobi before the explosion, and the Clouds mistook it for a possible victory. I'd say the average Cloud hadn't been told of their own plan. The Elites panicked and raised a premature signal. Blew up a lot of their own forces."

"So what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Hatori said slowly, "that we can send a few shinobi home. There's no need to advance any further; they'll think we will and we let them get stressed trying to reorganise. If any of them have brains, they'll realise just how pitiful they are. Meanwhile, we'll get a bit of rest while they freak out, and when they look at us, it'll be like looking at the gate to hell."

Hatori paused and pulled his mask off his face. With a soft sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and retied the short ponytail at the base of his neck. Kakashi didn't move, but he saw Hatori looking at him with a wry smile.

"This war is over," Hatori said. "That's what I think."

Kakashi stared at him from the corner of his eye for a long moment. Then he nodded once and rose to his feet. Leaving the other shinobi to their repeating arguments, Kakashi left the tent as quietly as he had entered it. They could debate all they wanted.

It wasn't that he trusted Hatori with all his heart – he would never trust anyone the way he had in the past. He just knew from experience, that Hatori had an unnaturally sharp intuition when it came to wars and battles. It was a surprise that he hadn't already retired from being a field agent to joining the ranks of strategists.

Night had fallen. The temperature had dropped and many of the shinobi had retired to the tents to rest. There were no fires, lest the smoke attract the enemy, so the camp was shrouded in darkness. Kakashi didn't mind. He preferred it this way.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As dawn began to lighten the sky in the east, the Third Hokage of Konoha raised his eyes from the scroll in his hands and sighed heavily. The exhaled breath sounded harsh in his empty office. His aged face was strained with fatigue and stress. Raising a hand, he tried to loosen the knot of muscles in the back of his neck, knowing it was fruitless, but needing the fleeting escape it offered.

"You must rest, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime smiled at the tall shinobi who landed noiselessly in front of the large desk. His ANBU clothes were concealed by a dark robe and the mask was not in its customary place over the face. Instead, Sarutobi looked up at the face of his long time friend and trusted subordinate.

"I was indeed thinking of retiring for an hour or two," he said, "but I'm starting to think that won't happen, now that the head of the ANBU has come to see me in person."

Kouyama Shuuji bowed his head. "Forgive me for disturbing you."

"No formalities, Shuuji," Sandaime said with an idle wave of his hand. "It'll tire me even further."

"You work yourself too much. It won't do if you collapse on us, Sarutobi."

"If I do, will you take up this position?"

Kouyama snorted. "And sell my soul to democracy and politics? I don't think so, old man."

They laughed, and even for a few seconds, the heavy burdens and responsibility they each held was lifted a little from their shoulders and they shared a familiar, years-old joke.

Then the moment passed.

"So what have you got for me?" Sarutobi asked.

"News from the frontline," Kouyama replied. "A messenger brought back a report of the battle and the current list of casualties, slash MIA."

He stepped forward and placed two scrolls on the desk. Sarutobi picked up the thinner one and found it to be the report. For a few minutes, they lapsed into silence as the Hokage read, his eyes drooping sadly with every name he read in the second, thicker scroll. After the last name, there was a scribbled note: _increasing numbers expected_.

Sarutobi lowered the scroll and closed his eyes, pressing his hands tightly together as he weaved a careful net of control and calm. He would have time later to mourn for those he had sent to their deaths. Later.

"So Noda Akahito was successfully assassinated." It was an unnecessary repetition of what was stated so clearly in the report, but it didn't matter. He only needed to tell Kouyama he was ready to begin the discussion.

"Yes, and unless the Clouds have another strategist as cunning as Noda that we do not know of, we have them at a disadvantage."

"Do they?"

They shared a long look. "No," Kouyama replied. "Our sources are thorough."

Sarutobi nodded. "What other news from your spies?"

"Only that a lot of shinobi were sent to the frontlines for this battle. They were confident of a victory and had gathered enough forces to push us back. But it backfired."

The Third tapped his finger thoughtfully against the desk. "Maybe this is a good time to suggest a cease-fire. In their current state, they may consider it."

"I agree. In that case then, I'll be calling back a few of my men. A solid group of Jounin will be enough to hold the line."

"Yes," Sarutobi agreed, though his face was frowning lightly, "If we manage to sign a treaty, we will need the ANBU back on missions."

Kouyama noticed the displeased expression and sighed. "It cannot be helped. Someone needs to do the clean-up. Every agent under my command is ready for it."

Silhouetted by the thin strip of light on the horizon, the Hokage's face suddenly seemed decades older. He nodded at Kouyama's words, but when he spoke, his voice was thin and frail.

"I'm sorry," he said, and Kouyama knew Sarutobi was not just apologising to him, but to all the hidden members of ANBU. Because when open war ends, the real war begins for the ANBU – the assassination of any and all parties who opposed to a peace treaty, be they shinobi, daimyo, national armies or civilians. They would leave none alive who could pose as a threat to the fragile balance between the Hidden Villages.

And there were many who did.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Well, it's better than an annual update, isn't it?

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! When I get enough time, I'll try to reply to them.

And to anyone who's interested, I've posted a few one-shots on my LiveJournal. The link is written on my profile, so if you're finding yourself with a bit of free time and don't mind my writing, please give them a try!

.LinSetsu.


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